Unexpected
by Psycho Dreamer
Summary: Sora has now been performing on the Kaleido Stage for 5 years but after a night of celebration, some "Unexpected" circumstances arise.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: I just want to point out that I do not think you need to drink to have a good time or really approve of over-drinking; this just helped set the scene! Enjoy!**_

Chapter 1

"Come on, Sora!" May cried excitedly. "Just one!" She yelled a little louder than normal, her cheeks were a little flushed, a sign that the fourth beer was finally getting to her, the girl could really put down the liquor.

"I'm not sure…" she began nervously, eyeing the reaction May was exhibiting in response to the alcohol. The Chinese acrobat couldn't even stand up straight on flat land; Sora would hate to see what she would look like on a balance beam at the moment.

"Come on! You're legal now!" May laughed. Sora had been legal for little while already but was a little wary of actually consuming alcohol because, unlike May, Sora had a very low tolerance to alcohol. The fact that was accidently unearthed on the night of her 21st birthday only months earlier. Let's just say that particular night involved some very loud and off-key singing, lots of hugs and "iloveyou"s and questioning of the need for superglue to keep her clothes on, events that the culprit didn't even remember the next day.

A salty, sea breeze played in Sora's purple hair, which now hung to the middle of her back. The Cape Mary beaches were the perfect places to hold parties, such as the celebration of Sora's fifth year performing on the Kaleido Stage. The whole cast and crew was present. Sora had also been congratulated by Jerry, the policeman, and Dr. Kate, who had gotten married two years earlier, Mr. Policeman finally got his girl. The illumination came from the three bonfires along the beach, their warmth ebbing the chill brought on by the wet ocean breeze.

"Hang on, I'll get you one!" May yelled for everyone to hear and stumbled off towards the coolers placed in the back of someone's pickup, almost getting to know the ground with her face twice.

"I think she's had a few too many." Sora heard someone say from behind her. She turned to see Ken Robbins's amused expression regarding his girlfriend. You read that right, May was his girlfriend. They had begun dating about a year and a half prior to that night, and, though they were almost complete opposites, were completely in love, as May said on the girls' nights throughout said year.

"Leave her alone, she's having fun." Layla Hamilton said as she walked by, hand in hand with her now-husband Yuri Killian. They had taken a night out without the kids in order to addend the party. They had been married for maybe 3 years now and had two kids, a 3 year old girl named Stella, and a 2 year old boy named Alexander.

"But you don't have to take her home tonight." Ken laughed as May came staggering back, three beers in her hands, one already opened and sloshing about as she walked.

"Ken!" She yelled happily. "I brought you one too!" she handed him a beer and shoved another into Sora's hands. Sora eyed it warily as Ken tried to pry the other away from May, clearly thinking she'd had enough.

"I brought you one!" She yelled, struggling to keep her beer. "Drink your own!" At that, Ken grabbed her sides, causing her to squeal as he tickled her. She tried to escape from the evil clutches of his hands, only resulting in her tripping over her own feet and Ken tripping over his as they fell over in a giggling mass of flesh and sand on the beach, spilling the two beers. Sora couldn't help but laugh as they tried to untangle themselves.

"Get a room you two!" Anna laughed as she walked by with Dio, the whip user from Theatrical Camp. She giggled a little at something Dio said. His hand moved towards hers. Mia sat down the beach a little giggling with one of the stage hands, sitting close together. Sora sighed a little, it seemed as though she was the only one left single now.

Feeling like a third wheel, she turned towards the bonfire and saw her stage partner Leon Oswald talking to Yuri, beer in hand. They were on friendly terms at the moment. They sort of had an on/off friendship thing going on; one minute they can be good friends but a stray comment could elicit hostility between them, but Sora knew better. Though they didn't want to admit it, they were friends.

Leon spotted her and, seeing that she was alone, waved her over. She blushed a little at his gesture of kindness and obliged. You may be asking why she was blushing if he'd been her partner for about 3 years; Layla was Sora's first partner. That particular question could be answered by just looking at the man.

First of all there was his body. Since he was a performer he was required to be in the top physical shape. He was tall, a little over six feet, thin, but not too thin and very muscular, but not so much that he looked like he could take on a bus. Next there was his face. High cheekbones, sharp eyes, long white-silver hair that seemed to change between a snowy white color and a shining silver in a certain light. There was also the way he carried himself. Straight back, raised chin, never faltering. He had an air of nobility about him. But what got Sora the most were his eyes, the color of a stormy silver-violet that looked like they could see right through you, eyes you could easily get lost in.

"Sora?" He called, jolting her from her thoughts, good thing too, Sora thought she was about to start drooling. She wouldn't have been the first to swoon over this perfect specimen of gorgeous man. Leon was wearing a form-fitting black buttoned shirt with the first few buttons popped open, which sharply contrasted with his almost-white hair, making it seem to glow, and a pair of black jeans that fit in all the right places, Sora tried to prevent the blush from claiming her cheeks. She'd seen Leon in various costumes and get-ups from performances, but his casual look still struck her as beautiful. She felt underdressed in her favorite worn-out jeans and gray shirt.

"Yes?" She said, finally reclaiming control of her voice. She smiled a Yuri, who was now standing alone, Layla had gone to talk to Charlotte and Julie, the girls who had originally tormented Sora but now were more-or-less friends in a sense.

Yuri turned to her. "Congratulations Sora." He smiled proudly, feeling Sora had done well.

"Thank you, Yuri. How are the kids?" She asked brightly. Stella and Alex often came to see their "Auntie Sora" performing with their parents, she thought that maybe they could be future performers and loved to spend time with them. She often brought them to the park and out for ice cream when Layla was busy.

"They're great." He smiled as he thought of his kids, ever since his first child was born Yuri had seemed different somehow, kinder and happier all the time, he was always anxious to get home to his family when away on business and such. "They want to come and see the next show."

"I'll be waiting for them." She smiled in return. Leon stood silently, taking a sip of his beer.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" She asked when Yuri went to find his wife.

"I suppose." Leon said in his French accent, his face perfectly blank, betraying no emotion whatsoever. Sora furrowed her brow.

"Doesn't sound like it." She mumbled mostly to herself, but Leon heard.

"I suppose this is not really my type of…" He searched for a word.

"That's fine." Sora said before he got the chance to finish his sentence. "I guess not everyone likes this kind of thing." She shrugged. Leon took another sip as they slipped into a somewhat comfortable silence.

Sora began to fiddle with her lucky charm bracelet, the fine silver chain shone in the moonlight. The charms served as momentos for her years on the stage, she collected a new charm for each production; a swan for swan lake, a rose for beauty and the beast, a mask for their production of Phantom of the Opera and many more. She eyed the new charm she was given to commemorate her five years on the stage.

Sora listened to the sounds of the ocean and the small band playing in the background, some people even gathered around a bonfire to dance. Sora couldn't help but smile at the merriment of the others.

"What is so amusing?" Leon asked when he noticed Sora's smile.

"Everyone's having such a great time; it makes it seem so much better." She turned and smiled at him this time. A little shocked by his stage partner's brilliant smile, Leon took another sip of his beer, hoping nothing showed on his face. He noticed that she hadn't even touched hers.

"You are not drinking?" He asked, wondering why not, all the others seemed to have had at least one, but in May's case she should have just stopped at one, he doubted she would remember very much of this night and that she'd even get out of bed the next day.

Sora looked down at the beer in her hands and blushed a little, embarrassed of the fact that she seemed to be the only one who couldn't really handle much alcohol. "Well, I'm not very good with alcohol." She confessed. "May just kinda shoved it into my hand before she and Ken ended up on the ground." Sora averted his gaze, suddenly very self-conscious.

"There is nothing wrong with that." He said assuring. "But one should be okay; I am only having this one." He said, holding up his half-empty bottle.

"I suppose one couldn't hurt." Sora said giving in. Leon held his bottle up to her. She clanked hers against his and "Cheers," brining the bottle to her lips.

* * *

><p>The sunlight streamed in through the opened curtains, casting a warm glow over the room. The birds sang softly as they flew about outside in the early morning breeze, early morning surfers made their way to the beach. Sora shifted in bed.<p>

The sheets felt odd against her body, she ignored this and tried to reclaim the sleep that had just escaped her. Finding this task harder than she thought, Sora slowly opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. Something was off.

She sat up and looked about the room and noticed that some things were missing and others were in place. She was in a room like hers but something was different. Instead of family photos adorning the walls there was emptiness. On the desk were papers and books neatly stacked and in order as opposed to Sora's messy desk filled with letters and a rainbow of pens. She looked to a wall and noticed that the dresser was in a different place and there was not mirror. This wasn't her room.

Sora's head began to throb as she tried to remember where she was and how she got there. She looked down at herself and discovered why the sheets felt so strange. She was _naked!_

Sora tried to remember why she was naked in a room that wasn't hers but her memory evaded her in a haze of sleepiness and a hangover. She heard a soft grunt from beside her.

She slowly turned and had to cover her mouth to stop herself from yelping in surprise. Lying there, in bed next to her (also unclothed, I might add) was a man whom many found extremely attractive, a man whom many said was cold and heartless, a man often called the "Grimm Reaper" of the stage. That's right, lying next to Sora was the one and only Leon Oswald, sleeping with his long silver hair splayed out over the pillow, his bare chest slowly rising and falling in the steady rhythm of his breathing. He shifted a little in his sleep. Sora's breathing had stopped. He rolled over onto his stomach and remained motionless, only the steady rise and fall of his chest showed any sign of life

She looked down at herself and back and him and back at herself, trying to figure out how this situation was even possible. Her veins turned to ice as she put two and two together. _No._ She thought.

She quickly got up, careful not to disturb the sleeping Frenchman and quickly gathered all her clothes. She got dressed as quickly as she could without falling over or disturbing her sleeping partner. She had a hard time keeping her balance as a wave of vertigo hit. She knew this feeling. It was the same feeling she had the night after her 21st birthday, she'd had too much to drink

Hoping she hadn't forgotten any articles of clothing, heaven forbid Leon would find her bra in his room, Sora quickly found her shoes and bolted from the apartment, running like a bat out of hell, trying to think of ways to explain herself as the door closed softly behind her.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The room was mostly silent after the door shut, save for the sound of the early morning breeze blowing in through an open window and Leon's even breathing as he slept, and even if there was noise, he wouldn't have heard it. Leon was sleeping like a rock and there was little chance of him returning to the land of the living any time soon.

* * *

><p>Sora lightly bounded up the steps to her dorm room, thankful that Sarah was an early riser and unlocked the dorms at the time she did. Sweat plastered her clothes to her body seeing as she sprinted all the way back, glad she didn't see anyone along the way, she was in no condition to speak to anyone. The shock from the morning's events left her feeling rather empty for some time, she quickly entered her own apartmentroom and locked the door behind her, willing herself to calm down and just breath, she'd get to thinking when her brain became functional again.

She tried to remember the events of the previous mind but only succeeded in giving herself a pounding headache; it was like trying to take a picture without film, there was nothing there. Sora vaguely remembered seeing May and Ken and Layla and Yuri and most definitely seeing Leon at the beach but everything after that was totally gone. How was she going to explain to Leon that she didn't remember anything that happened the night before.

"You're back late," said a voice from the corner of the room, causing Sora to jump nearly three feet into the air. "Or rather early, depending on how you look at it," said Fool.

Sora tried to collect her bearings as she was studied by the spirit of the Kaleido Stage. The six inch tall specter sat on the coffee table in the center of her living room area, looking at the Japanese acrobat with curiosity.

"I, uh..." Sora began, "spent the night at a friend's place!" she quickly exclaimed, it wasn't too far from the truth, technically she did spend the night at a 'friend's' place but then again she was still not sure of what actually happened the previous night.

"I see." Said the spirit, still eying Sora suspiciously.

"I'm going to take a shower!" Sora quickly explained, unable to stay under his intense stare for very long. Fool's eyes instantly lit up.

"I'll scrub your back!" The Spirit called excitedly following Sora into the bathroom.

* * *

><p>Sora stood under the warm cascading water of the shower, feeling slightly more relaxed and finding herself able to think just a little more clearly. She stood unmoving for a little while and just let the water beat down on her back as she stared at the tiled wall of the shower.<p>

She heard a thump from the other room. It seemed Fool didn't like being tied up in a drawer much, _That'll teach the little letch, _Sora thought as she reached for the shampoo.

After Sora felt as though she'd scrubbed away all her worries, she stepped out of the shower and quickly toweled herself off. She walked over to the mirror above the sink and wiped away the fog. The sight caused her to gasp.

Right on her neck under her jaw was a pretty mean looking purple mark. The bruise-like mark settled in a sensitive area of her skin under her ear and she was appalled at the sight of it. The kiss mark was almost as much of a surprise as waking up next to Leon that morning, now she had to attempt to hide evidence of what may or may not have happened that night.

Sora shed the towel she had wrapped around herself and quickly gave herself a once over. She groaned. Looked like a day for sleeves and a lot of cover-up. Her head throbbed.

* * *

><p>In the room in which Sora awoke earlier that morning, her partner was beginning to regain consciousness. He regained some resemblance of being alive, in other words, he moved. Leon turned over in bed, trying to find a more comfortable position, refusing to open his eyes and give in to the fact that it was time to get up. He turned over again, still unable to find a comfortable position.<p>

Finally surrendering to the day, he slowly sat up, eyes still tightly shut. His long white-silver hair brushed against his bare back. The breeze chose that particular moment to turn rather chilly, causing Leon to feel an abnormal draft. He opened his eyes and looked down to see that he was naked.

Leon wasn't as shocked as he probably should have been but that wasn't the first time he woke up _au natural_. He was a little confused though as to why. He didn't remember going to bed the night before, hell he didn't even remember coming home. What he did remember though was bits and pieces of the party.

He remembered May being too drunk to even sit up straight without almost falling over. He remembered speaking to Yuri about the children and productions on the stage and he vaguely remembered speaking to Sora but that's it. He'd had a little too much to drink, granted he had less than most but he was a lightweight and alcohol didn't agree with him very well. A few drinks here and a glass of wine there wasn't bad, but 4 beers and he was out like a light.

He began to stretch and inhaled through his nose at the same time and caught a familiar scent. He couldn't quite place it at the moment but didn't dwell on it. He glanced at the clock and noticed that it was 11 o'clock. It was a good thing he had a day off. He got up and walked to the shower, not noticing the charm bracelet on the floor near his bed.

* * *

><p>After Sora dried off and applied about a gallon of cover up to various areas of her skin, she decided it was time to brave the consequences and head out. Sora put on a comfortable pair of denim cutoffs that ended at her knees, a blue shirt with sleeves down to the elbows and a pair of flip flops.<p>

She grabbed her purse and stepped out of her apartment into the midday light. She had planned to have a day out with Anna, Mia and May and they were supposed to meet in 15 minutes, just enough time for Sora to get to the diner they were meeting at for lunch. She adjusted the strap on her shoulder and started walking, worries set aside for the moment as her headache subsided a bit.

* * *

><p>May's head pounded as she sat in the sun wearing a light blue sundress and a pair of wide white-framed sunglasses. She sipped at her iced tea as she waited for Sora and the others to show up. It took everything for May to drag herself out of bed that day, her head felt like a giant was slam-dancing against her skull, she was dizzy when she stood up and she couldn't even think about eating without the urge to throw up. In other words, she was hung-over.<p>

While she waited, May took to watching people walk along the street. The outdoor café sat in a popular Shopping District along the Cape Mary beaches. She saw many people, young and old, walking in the beautiful California sun. She saw an average looking woman pushing a pink stroller with a wiggling toddler inside eating a melting ice cream cone. There was a teenager skateboarding down the walk wearing a knitted hat even in this heat and knee and elbow pads, a young couple jogging in spandex and a man who stood in front of a store who kept checking his watch, obviously waiting for someone. His expression brightened as he was joined by a woman in a skirt and blouse.

One person in particular caught her eye. The young woman had very fair, blonde hair that reached her tiny waist in long platinum curls. Her long legs were covered only down to the mid-thigh by a breezy white skirt which swished as she walked in her four-inch stilettos which made May cringe at the thought of even trying to stand in them. She wore lavender and white laced camisole which fit her like it was made for her. The girl could have been a model; she certainly carried herself like one.

Almost as if she sensed that she was being watched, the young woman turned and faced May who was met by a big pair of stunning light green eyes, petite nose, and full rose-colored lips. May's jaw dropped, the girl was obviously gorgeous but didn't seem too stuck up about it. What surprised may more was the fact that the woman was approaching her in a quickened pace, May couldn't decipher her expression.

May was about to turn away when the young woman spoke.

"_Excuse moi?_" she said in a worried tone.

_She's French,_ May thought to herself, she panicked.

"_Est-ce que tu peux m'aider, sil vous plait?"_ She sounded distressed. _"Je suis perdu."_

May put up her hands as though she was trying to ward off the plague. "I don't speak French!" She said hurriedly. The young woman only furrowed her brow in confusion

"_Est-ce que tu peux m'aider?"_ she repeated.

"I'm sorry but I don't understand." May said a little louder.

"_Je ne comprends pas."_ The French woman said.

"I don't speak French!" May nearly screamed.

"May?" A voice said from behind her.

"What's going on here?" Another asked.

May turned to see Anna and Mia standing behind her, confused expressions on their faces.

"Quick!" She said in a panicked tone, "Can either of you speak French?" Her sunglasses slid down her nose.

"I know a little bit." Mia said. She turned to the French girl. "Est-ce que je peux vous aider?" She asked, sounding a little funny with her Americanized French.

"_Je suis perdu."_ The French girl repeated yet again, sounding exasperated.

"She said she's lost." Mia said to the others, she turned back to the young woman.

* * *

><p>Sora arrived as Mia gave the French girl directions to her hotel.<p>

"Hey." She said as the French girl got on her way.

"Hey, Sora," the others said in unison.

"What was that about?" She said as she took a seat at the table.

"The girl was lost and May can't speak French." Anna filled her in.

"I didn't know you spoke French?" Sora turned to Mia.

"Only a little," she said, blushing slightly, "I took French in high school."

"I took Spanish." Anna added.

"I took English." May said.

Sora looked a little uncomfortable. "What's the matter?" Mia asked.

Sora looked away as she said "I never really went to high school." Sora looked up again. "I only took the classes through the stage."

"It's okay Sora," Anna said. "That way it's like we all graduated together!" She smiled, which infected Sora, making her smile too.

"I guess you're right." She smiled as the waiter came to take their order.

* * *

><p>Leon spent most of his afternoon lounging around his apartment and reading, trying to recover from a hangover. After a while, Leon decided that he could use some fresh air. He put on a pair of comfortable shoes and headed out.<p>

His walk took him to the shopping district. He wandered aimlessly, just enjoying the weather. He wondered what Sora was doing, if she was enjoying herself. Over the years they'd been partners, Leon found that his thoughts wandered to Sora quite often, sometimes more often than they should. He'd often think of her shining purple hair, her large brown eyes which seemed to shine with specks of gold in the right light. Her long, long legs and graceful form as she flow through the air, the feel of her in his arms as their bodies press togeth- he needed to get a grip. She was his partner and nothing more, no matter how much he may or may not have wanted it.

He was brought back to reality by the sound of familiar voices and laughter. He paused and looked around, only to find his eyes drawn to a familiar shock of purple hair sitting at an outdoor café. Sitting there at the table was May Wong, his ex-partner, Anna, the comedian, Mia, the writer and performer, and Sora Naegino, his current stage partner and haunter of his thoughts.

He heard her laughter and all else was drowned out. His feet began to move on their own.

"Leon?" A voice brought him from his thoughts. May had noticed him walking towards them.

Sora turned to face him, shock evident on her face. She quickly averted her eyes. He didn't notice the blush creeping onto her cheeks.

"Hello." He said to May and the others, he forced himself to look away from Sora, he felt his face heat up. He blamed his wandering mind and elevated body heat to any alcohol that could have been left in his body.

* * *

><p><em>What's he doing here?<em> Sora panicked. She didn't know how to face him after the night before. She looked up and her eyes met his. She quickly turned away, cheeks flaming.

"What's up?" Anna said smiling.

"I was just out for a walk." Leon answered. "Enjoying the weather."

"Too bad you couldn't have taken your walk earlier." May said loudly. "There was this French woman who was lost and Hell if I know how to speak French."

"I apologize for not gracing you with my presence sooner." He said jokingly which caused the others to just stare at him like he just grew a second head. They knew he'd gotten friendlier but never thought him to be one to tell jokes.

Sora remained uncharacteristically quiet. "Is something the matter?" He asked her.

"N-no, I'm fine." She said softly, not meeting his eyes.

"Why don't you join us?" Anna offered.

Leon kept a straight face as he debated whether he should stay or not. It shouldn't have been a hard decision but they seemed to be having a nice time he didn't want to feel like an outsider. He noticed that Sora wouldn't meet his eyes and that made him feel a little apprehensive; like he'd done something wrong. He didn't like the feeling. His head throbbed.

"I think I am going to go home." He said finally. "I am not feeling too well."

"Had a little too much to drink last night?" May asked bluntly.

"Like you're one to talk!" Anna laughed.

"Hey! I was just asking." May said defensively.

"Perhaps." Leon answered thoughtfully. "Honestly I don't even remember getting home last night."

Sora's head shot up at that, her face a mask of confusion which she quickly replaced with a poker face. Leon tried to ignore the strange feeling he got from her expression, like his chest felt heavy.

"Well I think you need to sleep it off a bit more." May answered, ignoring both of their expressions. "I know I could use a bit more sleep."

Anna and Mia laughed.

"I will see you later." Leon said as he turned to walk away. "Have a nice afternoon." He said, taking a last look at Sora before he left.

* * *

><p>"Wow, I never thought Leon would drink enough to black out!" Mia exclaimed. "I kinda expected it from May but not Leon!" She laughed with the others.<p>

Sora blushed a little and looked into her lemonade.

"What's the matter Sora?" Anna asked.

"Um," Sora didn't know where to begin. "Can you promise not to laugh at me?"

"We'll try." May said.

"Well," Sora said softly. She took a deep breath, "Can you tell me what happened last night because I don't remember anything after the bonfire, not even how I got home!" It all spilled out, words tumbling over each other. Sora kind of changed the last part; she didn't want them to know about the little mishap from that morning involving a bed, an unconscious Leon, and the fact that neither of them were wearing clothes.

The girls all looked at Sora and shook as they tried to suppress their laughter. As if that would work. They all burst out laughing, causing the other diners to turn and stare.

Sora's face turned a deep crimson as they were stared at by complete strangers; it wasn't the same as on the stage because on stage they weren't themselves, so to speak.

After the girls were done gasping for air and the diners returned to their meals, Mia turned to Sora and spoke. "Sorry, we didn't mean to laugh; it's just that you were speaking so fast we thought you were going to start gushing in Japanese or something. What happened last night was after May and Ken decided to untangle themselves, Anna and I decided to go and talk to you, you were talking to Leon and we noticed that you had drank a little. We got your attention and when you turned to see us, you started to fall forward, Leon caught you and straightened you out, you said 'why thank you my kind sir' and started to fall backwards."

"He caught you again and you started laughing and fell again. I thought I'd take you home so I told Leon to keep an eye on you while I went to tell my date that I was going to take you home. Leon said not to bother, that he could walk you home and you guys left, but I think Leon had a little to drink too because before last night, I don't think I've ever seen him stumble. The guy could have walked a straight line but he almost fell flat on his face on the way off the beach." Sora couldn't help but laugh at the mental picture.

"Well anyways, Leon walked you home and we left a little later. It was a fun night though; at least you guys got home safe." Mia finished.

_You have no idea,_ Sora thought.

**Author's note: Enjoy, sorry for the wait and please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry for the wait, thanks for being patient with me!**

Chapter 3

_I can't believe he doesn't remember either,_ Sora thought as she walked back into her apartment/dorm room.

"_Had a little too much to drink last night?" May asked bluntly._

"_Perhaps." Leon answered thoughtfully. "Honestly I don't even remember getting home last night."_

Their earlier conversation replayed itself in her mind. The sense of dread she'd been feeling regarding a confrontation eased slightly at the thought. _Maybe,_ she thought, _I won't have to say anything; it'll be like nothing ever happened._ This thought caused her to think off all of those movies she'd seen where secrets were kept between people and that ultimately caused more harm than actually telling the truth would have, but considering that she didn't even know what the truth was, she just let it slide for now.

Sora carried her shopping bags into her room and began to sort thought her purchases. She'd bought a few pairs of jeans, some Bermuda shorts and tank tops of various colors, some new sandals and a midnight blue knee length dress with thin straps to hold it up, she thought it was very pretty and on sale so why not.

"That's pretty." Fool said as Sora held up the dress.

"I thought so too." Sora smiled. "I even bought matching shoes."

"You have a date or something?" Fool asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"No!" Sora said laughing. "It was on sale."

"Well I suppose even stars have the urge to splurge every now and then." He waved a hand in the air as he spoke

A thought occurred to Sora. "I don't even have anywhere to wear it." She was a little discouraged. "Oh well," she brightened up, "I'll have it in case something comes up!" She hung it in the closet along with her other clothes.

* * *

><p>The next two weeks passed without incident. The cast decided to perform the Phantom of the Opera with Leon starring as the phantom and Sora as Christine. They spent those two weeks practicing and working out the kinks of their routine. They also put a twist to the plot, (this is for all you phantom fans) where Christine agrees to run away with the phantom.<p>

At the moment, Sora and Leon were practicing the duet scene, but instead of singing, they were dancing. The phantom had brought Christine down to his home beneath the opera house. Sora and Leon swung away from each other on the trapeze; anguish lined their moves as they played the parts of Christine and the phantom, lovers who could never be. Sora swung she up to stand on her trapeze as Leon mirrored her movements.

They swung back towards each other, as her swing reached its apex, Sora leapt over Leon, between the ropes holding his swing. Somersaulting and landing on her toes in a ballet pose on the next swing, her training from the angel's maneuver years earlier still present in her movements. Leon looked after her with longing in his eyes and movements. He swung back in her direction. She leapt yet again just out of his reach. A teasing grin on her face, "come and get me" it seemed to say. He dropped so he was hanging from the bar and when he reached his top speed, he let go, doing a full layout and then catching the swing just after Sora left it.

Seeing that she had gone yet again, he decided he'd had enough of playing games. He swung again, this time spinning as he flew; Sora tried to jump over him, only to be caught in the air and brought back to the trapeze with him. There they stood, chest to chest, balancing precariously on a single swing.

The feeling of Leon's arms around her was very familiar to Sora. Of course it would be familiar considering the amount of times they've held each other in the countless practices and performances, but this time it was different. Sora's cheeks turned red.

Leon felt Sora's warmth as he held her against his body, almost as if to protect her from the world, she was his. He looked down at her and saw her staring back. He thought he would lose himself in her big brown eyes. He felt warmth spreading in his body.

She felt her heart rate quickened. He held her tighter. She half closed her eyes. He felt himself being drawn to her. He began to lean in, their faces only inches apart and getting closer and closer until-

"Cut!" Cathy yelled from her place at the edge of the stage. Sora and Leon quickly pulled apart, though they couldn't separate far due to the fact that they were still standing on a trapeze. It was almost as if they were shaken from a trance.

* * *

><p><em>What was that?<em> Sora thought to herself, her cheeks turning an even deeper shade of red. _I think we almost~!_ She forgot where they were for a moment. She looked away from Leon, suddenly remembering that she had been trying to act as normal as possible since the forgotten incident the night of the party. She knew from the seeing him nearly every day that he remembered nothing, but that didn't stop the fact that something might have happened that night that might have jeopardized everything. She didn't want to lose him over something like a moment of indiscretion. She was scared of what may have happened.

* * *

><p><em>I can't believe I almost-!<em> Leon thought to himself. He lost sight of everything but her, even the fact that they were practicing for a performance, the fact that they were not alone. For a moment, he forgot that he was acting, that they were partners and nothing more, that she was his friend. He was willing to risk that in that moment. All he wanted in that moment... was her.

"That was great!" Cathy called up. "You guys showed great emotion up there, for a minute I actually thought you guys were lovers!" She cried excitedly, Sora blushed; Leon wore his usual poker face. "You were the Phantom and Christine!" Cathy then proceeded to tell them how their acting has come a long way over the years and what a superb job they were doing.

"T-thank you." Sora said modestly, she was grateful to get such praise from someone like Cathy. The trapeze were lowered, Sora gracefully jumped off, feeling a rush of cold air where Leon's body had been. She heard Leon land softly near her, she seemed to be overly aware of him ever since that night. She hated not knowing what happened.

"Leon!" One of the girls from wardrobe called to him. She was tall and had red hair and green eyes, she was quite pretty actually. "Can you come here? We need to make some adjustments on your costume." Sora felt a little pang in her chest, she didn't like the feeling.

"Okay." He said and followed her backstage. Sora hadn't seen his costume yet and hers was still being designed. Cathy had said something about wanting to wait until opening night to reveal the costumes. Opening night was only two weeks away, so they had a little bit of time. Sora looked into the dark edge of the stage where her silver-haired partner disappeared.

"Sora," Mia called. "I want you to come and see this." She said, indicating the tape of the rehearsal.

"Coming." Sora said as she reluctantly turned away from the direction of her partner.

* * *

><p>May balanced on one foot on the tightrope, concentrating completely on her footing. She slowly lifted one leg until her shin was right near her cheek. She quickly swung her leg back down and up, using the velocity to launch herself into a backwards layout, landing again on her toes and then quickly launched into another layout with a full twist, landing on the toes of her right foot, holding a pose almost like the one Sora used during the angel's maneuver.<p>

May slowly bent forward and touched her toes, bringing her left leg up straight into the air doing a type of split. She brought her right leg up, supporting herself on her hands and standing pencil straight. She spread her legs into a sideways/Russian split, bringing her feet down to touch the rope on both sides of her. She straightened up, bending forward and placing both hands on the rope again, keeping one foot on the rope and stretching the other one behind her, leaning forward so her legs were diagonal from the rope, sweat dripped from her face.

May sometimes enjoyed feeling a little bit of a strain on her muscles, it was a sign that her hard work was slowly paying off. Eyes closed, May lifted her other foot so she was standing on her hands again.

She heard the door click shut and opened slowly lowered her legs so she was standing upright again and opened her eyes. She looked down to see a head of sandy blonde hair and a set of sparkling blue eyes looking up to her, in his hand was a take-out bag from her favorite restaurant.

"I brought lunch." Ken said when he knew she saw him. He would have called up but didn't want to startle May. The last thing he wanted was for her to fall. She smiled down to him and walked along the rope to the platform at the end.

May had calmed down considerably over the years; she still tended to get overly excited over some things but was slightly quieter about it. Sure she still shouted out her moves during practices and all, but that just made May herself, his May.

She dropped from the ladder and walked over to Ken, eagerly taking the bag from his hands. "Oh!" She was giddy. Ken had brought her favorite Mexican food, since we all know May likes her food spicy.

"Thought you might be hungry." Ken said. "You've been at it for hours!" He laughed a little. May glared, thinking he was laughing at her. Ken brought his hands up in a sign of peace/surrender/please-don't-hurt-me.

"Thanks, Ken." May said sweetly, pecking him on the cheek as they sat down on the floor of the practice room and had a make-shift picnic.

* * *

><p>Leon stood in his, very organized, dressing room, eying the costume he was to wear for the next performance, a little skeptical about it. He decided not to worry over it too much, the costume was nice enough, but something didn't quite seem right about it, maybe it was the fact that the girls wanted him to wear something with a bit more color than usual, but they seemed to lose the Phantom in the process. He would fix it later. Leon turned to face the mirror. His silver-violet eyes stared back.<p>

_What happened earlier?_ He thought to himself. He remembered the feeling of Sora in his arms, how it was so familiar, but different somehow. He couldn't say why but something seemed strange, but not in a bad way. He also remembered the coldness from when they separated. He furrowed his brow and stared at his eyes reflected back. He was going mad!

"Nice work out there today." A voice said from behind him. Leon turned to face the direction of the voice. He looked to the shelf where he kept various books and photos and other miscellaneous things and sitting right at the top was a six inch tall specter of a man. The spirit of the stage stared back.

"Hello, Fool." Leon said indifferently, like finding a spirit in your dressing room was just an everyday occurrence, but for certain stars of the Kaleido Stage, it was.

"So, how's Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Gloomy today?"

Leon glared at the spirit.

"Ah, the usual I see." Fool liked to joke with Leon, even if Leon didn't joke back, and Fool knew better than to expect him to. "And might I say your acting was marvelous today." Fool wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Leon was just short of throwing the nearest object, which happened to be a coffee mug, at the spirit.

"What have you come here for?" Leon asked icily.

"Oh just to have a chat." Fool replied. "I've got to keep my tabs on the stars, I am the spirit of this stage after all and as you know, only a few can see me."

"I suppose." Leon said.

* * *

><p>Sora later walked out of her dressing room and nearly ran into Mr. "Grim Reaper" of the stage himself.<p>

"Hello Leon." She said after regaining some composure.

"Hello." He said.

"Are you going home?" Sora asked, trying to make small talk with her partner. Though they've been partners for years, she still got nervous around him.

"Yes, and yourself?" Leon asked. He'd begun speaking more over the years also, he wasn't as cold anymore but calling Leon a warm person was like calling a porcupine a teddy bear.

"Yes." Sora answered quickly. "But I wanted to go for a walk on the beach first." She added. "The weather is gorgeous outside!" She beamed.

Leon couldn't help but smirk a little at her excitement. "I suppose it is."

"Would you like to join me?" The words flew out before Sora had a chance to stop them. She nervously waited for him to reject her offer.

"I don't really have anything planned for this afternoon," he began. "So why not." He said, much to Sora's surprise. "Shall we?" He said holding out his arm like the gentleman he was.

"Thank you my good sir." Sora laughed as she linked her arms through his, their conversations becoming more natural. They walked side by side into the lobby area of the building and noticed a little commotion going on.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but the performers are busy at the moment, you'll need to come back later." The security guard was saying to a tall, very beautiful woman with waist length platinum blonde hair and bright green eyes. Her eyebrows were furrowed in distress. She wore a simple white sundress but she managed to make it look both elegant and casual at the same time along with her four-inch stilettos. Sora felt a pang of envy. The woman was gorgeous.

"_Excuse moi?"_ The woman said, it sounded like she spoke French.

"Is something the matter?" Sora asked, stepping forward in case she could help. Leon stayed planted where he was, ignoring the altercation.

"I've got this under control." The young guard said, trying to save face. Leon looked to the young man and suddenly froze confusion in his expression; Sora thought it was strange to see Leon confused.

The young woman turned confused in Sora's direction and Sora instantly recognized her. She was the woman who Mia was giving directions to that day the met up for lunch.

"Leon." Sora said. "I think you'd better handle this, she only speaks French." She said, remembering how May couldn't communicate with her. Her sentence was met with silence. "Leon?" Sora turned.

The French girl froze in her tracks after hearing Sora speak. She slowly turned and her eyes landed on Leon. _"Leon?"_

Sora turned, confused as to why the girl would know Leon. Then she heard him speak.

"_Annette?"_


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: ** Sorry for the wait, i had to face the mortal enemy of author's everywhere! the Evil Demon called... WRITER'S BLOCK!

Chapter 4

"_Annette?"_ Sora heard Leon say, recognition ringing in his voice.

"_Leon!"_ The French girl cried, her face lit up like the Fourth of July. She ran to Leon and, practically tackling him, wrapped him in an embrace. _"C'est toi!"_ She said, putting her lips to his cheek as Leon's arms encircled her. Sora's jaw almost hit the floor.

"_Annette!"_ Leon actually smiled. _"Qu'est-ce que tu fait ici?"_

"_Pierre est en vedette dans un film d'Hollywood, et tu me manques!"_ She laughed. Sora just stared at them, confusion evident on her face.

_What are they saying?_ She thought, since she didn't know how to speak French. She couldn't help but stare again at how Leon was holding the girl so close to him, and smiling like he was. She also couldn't help but notice again how beautiful the girl was with porcelain skin, platinum blonde hair and a figure that a Milan model would kill for. Her chest hurt in that slightly familiar feeling she couldn't quite put a name to.

Leon and the French girl pulled apart, and then the girl's striking green eyes fell on Sora. She turned to Leon. _"Est-elle votre nouveau partenaire?"_ She asked.

"_Oui."_ Leon responded, as if he just remembered that Sora was still there.

"_Est-ce qu'elle est ta blonde?"_ She asked as Sora could only stare in confusion. The fact that they seemed to be talking about her but she couldn't understand was eating her from the inside out.

Leon's expression changed for a fleeting second, so quickly that it went unnoticed by the women, but was quickly replaced by his usual stone mask. _"Non."_ He replied. The girl's expression seemed to say_ ah, I understand._

The French girl leaned in close to Leon and, just quiet enough so Sora didn't hear, whispered, _"Elle est très belle."_ Sora did however see her wink. And for some reason it made her a little mad.

"_Je sais."_ Leon whispered back just as quietly. "Sora," he said, finally addressing her, "This is Annette Saint-Claire, she is a very good friend of mine from France."

"Nice to meet you," Sora smiled, her usual cheeriness somewhat returning. She held out her hand and Annette took it, shaking her hand enthusiastically, then pulling Sora to her and planting a kiss on her cheek.

Sora was a little shocked and blushed profusely at the gesture. "W-what are you doing?" She asked through her shock.

"She is greeting you." Leon said simply, "it is a very common way to do so in France."

"Oh." Sora said, trying to hide her embarrassment. She looked at Annette again; it was hard to look away. Annette caught Sora staring and smiled.

The French girl, Annette, seemed to ask Leon a question; he turned back to her to answer. She touched her wrist and noticed something wasn't right. Sora had developed a habit of fiddling with her lucky bracelet when she was nervous or felt awkward. This was one of those times. When her fingers grazed the skin on her wrist, she didn't feel the familiar texture of skin warmed silver, or the motion of dangling charms. She looked down to her wrist and saw that her bracelet was gone!

She turned around and looked over the floor, thinking it may have just fallen. She didn't see it anywhere.

"-would like to join us? What do you think?" Leon spoke; Sora completely missed the first part of that sentence.

"Huh?" She said, snapping back into attention.

"I said, perhaps Annette would like to join us for a walk?" He said again patiently.

"I guess that would be fun, the more the merrier, right?" Sora smiled again. She looked in her purse, thinking maybe her bracelet had unclasped itself when she may have reached inside, it wasn't there either.

"Um," Sora mumbled, Leon turned to see what was going on. "I think I forgot something in my dressing room." Sora said quickly. "I need to go back, you two can go ahead."

"But were we not supposed to go for a walk?" Leon asked.

"You go ahead," Sora replied. "You can, uh, show Annette the sights." She said with mixed feelings, but why she had mixed feelings, she couldn't say.

"Are you sure?" Leon asked in concern.

"Yeah, it's fine," Sora put on her best smile, "you go ahead, I'll go next time."

"If you say so." Leon said and spoke to Annette in French, she smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

"I will see you tomorrow?" He said, almost as a question.

"Definitely." Sora replied as Leon turned and offered his arm to Annette, who gladly took it and they walked towards the door. Leon laughed at something Annette had said. They were both equally dazzling together. Annette also had a sort of regal air about her making her seem almost unapproachable.

They looked good together.

Sora almost mentally slapped herself for thinking that. She turned and ran towards her dressing room before any other strange thoughts could enter her mind.

* * *

><p>Back in her dressing room, Sora was practically tearing the place apart in search of her bracelet. She looked under her vanity table, her clothing rack, behind the curtains where she changed. She checked the sleeves on all of her costumes in case it got caught, she even checked on the stage itself to see if her bracelet was anywhere to be found, but it was all in vain. She returned to her dressing room and sat at the vanity. She had to be smart about this, just looking everywhere without thinking first wasn't going to get her anywhere.<p>

First of all, when did the bracelet go missing? Sora thought about the last time she remembered actually seeing it, even though she never took it off, it was funny how she didn't notice it was gone. She remembered putting a new charm on it the day of the party.

Now, how many places had she been to since then? She had been to her own place of course, to the stage for practices, to the beach for walks, and to the shopping district among other places. Her bracelet could have been at any of those. Her heart sank in her chest.

"I'm never going to find it." She sighed.

"Find what?" Sora yelped at a voice from right in front of her. She probably jumped nearly three feet in the air!

"Fool!" She gasped. "Don't just sneak up on people like that! It's not nice!"

"I didn't sneak up on you," he said flatly, "I appeared right in front of you, you were just too deep in thought to notice." He made kind of a humph, sound as he sat at the edge of the vanity table. "You never did answer my question," he began again, "What are you looking for?"

"My charm bracelet." She answered, mind wandering back to where it could be.

"You mean the one you never take off?" He asked.

"Yeah, that's the one." She replied. "I don't know how long it's been missing; I only just noticed that it was gone."

"Is it in your purse?" Fool asked.

"No, I already checked."

"Costumes?"

"Nope."

"Stage?"

"It's nowhere to be found!" Sora threw her arms up in exasperation.

"Woah. Just calm down." Fool said, arms up in mock defense. "Did you try retracing your steps?"

"I would but the problem is the last time I remember seeing the bracelet was the night of the party, after that it's been so hectic and I've been all over the place, it could have fallen anywhere I've been from then till now." Sora sighed. "It's hopeless, I probably won't find it."

"Don't say that," Fool said, trying to be comforting, "I'll keep a lookout for you and let you know if I find it."

Sora smiled. "Thanks, Fool."

"But in exchange, can you-" Fool whispered in Sora's ear.

* * *

><p>"Sora this isn't funny!" Came a muffled yell from inside the vanity drawer. There was a quiet thumping sound. "You can't keep me locked in here!" He yelled into the empty room.<p>

"Sora?" He called again, this time sounding more desperate. "I'm sorry I didn't mean it!" There was no answer. "SORA!" But Sora had already left the building.

* * *

><p>Sora couldn't help but watch Leon and Annette over the next few days. They were always together, like they were joined at the hip. Annette would come in after practice every day and leave with Leon, they laughed at talked, Sora thought they were just 'catching up,' but suspected there was more to it than that, she was just being paranoid<p>

It had been three days since Annette arrived, and Sora was sitting with May in the cafeteria, her lunch growing cold from the lack of attention, as Sora's eyes were, yet again, watching Annette as she stood in line for food.

"-Right?" May was saying. Sora hadn't heard and May wasn't one to be ignored for long. "Earth to Sora!" She called, snapping her fingers in front of Sora's face.

"What?" Sora snapped back to reality.

"So nice of you to join us back on Earth." May said, annoyed. "I said, what is she doing here?" May pointed her fork in the direction of Annette. May obviously remembered the day where the language barrier got the best of her.

Sora cast her eyes down, hoping nobody noticed she was staring. "I think she's just visiting Leon." Sora tried to hide the defeated tone of her voice.

"More like stalking him," May said indifferently. "What is she? Some kind of crazed fan? She's been clinging to him like some kind of magnet for three days."

"She's his friend from France." Sora tried to clear up any misunderstandings May have had. "I think they went to dance school or something together when they were younger."

"Sounds like an old flame to me." May said, Sora felt like she just got punched in the stomach. May took a bite of her pasta.

"I-I'm sure they're just friends," Sora tried to smile and May, having been good friends with Sora for a while now, was able to tell when she was trying to hide something. "I mean, Leon hasn't said anything about her being more than that-" Sora trailed off, taking a drink of her water. May lowered her fork from her mouth, food still untouched.

"Are you sleeping with him?" May asked bluntly. Sora nearly choked, spitting her water across the table, nearly drenching the people sitting at the next table.

"W-w-What?" Sora nearly screamed. She immediately turned about ten different shades of red and stammered a little too loudly, "Why would you ask such a thing?" Sora then noticed that people were staring at her, she leaned across the table and whispered to may. "Why would you ask me that?"

"You seem awfully worried about this 'friend' that suddenly showed up." May did air quotes around the word 'friend.'

"But that's still no reason to ask if I'm sleeping with him!" She whispered harshly, cheeks so red that they may stain. "We're just friends, or partners, or whatever you want to call us! That's it!"

"No need to get all defensive." May put her hands up in mock surrender. A sly grin made itself home on her face. "But your reaction says there's more to it than that." May leaned in close. "Or that you want there to be." She whispered with a smug look on her face.

And, even though it seemed impossible, Sora's blush darkened to a whole new shade of red.

* * *

><p>"Everyone! Can I have your attention?" Kalos called the next day before the start of rehearsals. He was in his usual attire of khaki shorts and buttoned cotton shirt and ever present sunglasses, seemingly impervious to the early June heat. Standing next to him, looking shy, which was the last emotion that people would think to appear on her face, was Annette. She wore pink and white, plaid Bermuda shorts, with a white laced camisole and white sneakers. Her waist length, platinum blonde tresses pulled back into a neat braid down her back.<p>

"This is Annette Saint-Claire." Kalos said stepping aside and beckoning her to step forward, which she obliged. "She is from Paris and will be working here for the time being." There were a few murmurs but nothing too out of the ordinary. "Her English isn't too great so please be polite and try to help her learn the ropes, so to speak."

"Uh, n-nice to meet you." Annette said in her thick French accent.

"She'll be working backstage so if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." Kalos said finally. "That is all." And he turned on his heal and strode away, leaving Annette with the rest of the cast. Sora was surprised to have the French girl there, she had nothing against her, don't get me wrong, but Sora felt a strange weight in her chest. She tried to occupy her mind by doing some warm-up stretches and ballet positions.

Annette, spotting a familiar face, quickly walked towards Sora, a small smile on her face. "H-hello." Annette said, trying to communicate.

"Oh, hello Annette." Sora said. "I didn't know you spoke English."

"Yes, I learn." She said sheepishly. "I uh, understand better than speak." Sora could tell she was really trying.

"That's good to know." Sora smiled up at Annette. "If you need help with anything, just let me know."

"Oh, uh, _merci._" She said brightly, Sora at least knew that she meant "Thank you."

"Sora." A distinctly masculine voice said from behind her. She turned to see a silver haired god striding towards her on his long legs. "It is time to begin." He noticed Annette and smiled, giving her a small wave which she returned.

The weight in Sora's chest seemed to grow. She tried to suppress it by showing a light smile. She failed.

"Are you coming?" Leon asked, looking back to her.

"Y-yes!" She stammered, his bright silver and violet eyes piercing into hers, making her insides melt. He held out a hand to help her up and they walked to the stage, but Sora wasn't the only one to notice the fact that Leon turned again to smile and wave at Annette.

* * *

><p>Annette was a little lost, well, maybe more than a little. She had been asked to bring a box to the storage room at the far end of the backstage area, or was it the dressing room off of stage right? She couldn't remember, even though she knew enough to get by, English was not Annette's strong suit. She was standing there, muttering her herself in French when she heard two sets of footsteps behind her.<p>

She turned to see two girls about her age, one with shoulder length blonde hair wearing an orange headband and a green tank top along with black shorts, and a girl with bluish black shoulder length hair in a pony tail off to the side, her style mimicking the blonde's but with the color pink instead.

"Oh, you're the new girl." The blonde said. "My name is Charlotte."

"And I'm Julie," the other added.

"I am Annette." She tried to sound clear in her accent. She ventured so far as to ask where she was supposed to put the box.

"Over there's fine." Julie chirped.

Charlotte and Julie had seen Annette hanging around in the past few days and both were dying to know why she was there, not that they really minded but you know as well as I do that they needed to know about everything!

"You're Leon's friend, right?" Julie asked.

"_Oui._" Annette said with a smile.

"From France?" Charlotte asked this time.

"_Oui."_ She answered again.

"How long have you known each other." Julie asked, taking her turn in their 'interrogation.'

"Um, zince we were, um, about," Annette couldn't think of the English word for the number so she held up nine fingers.

"That long!" The girls both chimed in, their eyes lighting up.

"What was he like as a kid?"

"Did he have a lot of girlfriends?"

"What was his favorite food?"

"Did he like movies?"

"Was he a cute little kid or was he always this cold?" The girls bombarded Annette with questions so fast that she didn't really catch most of them and she just stood there looking flustered.

"Slow down, _sil vous plait."_ She asked and Charlotte and Julie looked at each other for a moment before turning back on Annette.

"What is your relationship with Leon?" The both asked simultaneously, their eagerness to know practically dripped from their mouths along with the words.

Annette took a moment to find her words, she slowed down and began. "I am, how you say," but her 'how' sounded more like 'ow' and her S's sounded more like Z's "um." She struggled to find the proper words. Why did English have to be so hard!

Her mind finally came up with the words.

"I am Leon's Girlfriend!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's** Note: Sorry for the Delay, i hope to have the next chapter up faster this time!

Chapter 5

The smell of coffee and soap permeated Leon's apartment as he stepped from the steaming bathroom, wrapped only in a towel, and why not, it was his apartment anyways. There were many who would have killed to see Leon so barely covered that his hip bones showed over the edge of the towel and his lean, corded muscles could move freely without the hindrance of clothing hiding what could have been carved by the god of beauty, whoever he, or she, may be.

His still wet hair swished against his back as Leon walked through the door of his bedroom that lead to the small kitchen near the entrance and pored himself a cup of caffeine; he'd need it considering the amount of practice he'd be putting in over the final days before opening night. They nearly had their routines perfect, but nearly wasn't good enough. He walked back to his tidy bedroom, coffee cup in hand, and thought over the events of the past few days.

It had been 5 days since Annette arrived, an event for which he was overjoyed, it had been such a long time since he'd last seen Annette. They had been friends since they were children and even attended dance school together for a short while along with Pierre Demerchant. Now that he thought of it, he hadn't seen Pierre in a quite some time either.

He missed his friends, but now Annette was there, he wondered what Sora thought of Annette. There he goes again, thoughts once again returned to his lovely Japanese stage partner. With her sparkling brown eyes that glinted with a hint of mischief when a challenge was presented, her toned body when it was pressed against his-

He slammed his coffee cup down on the dresser, pushing his own thoughts from his mind, thankful the cup didn't break. Sora only thought of him as a co-worker and that was it, no matter how much he may have wished otherwise, not that he'd actually admit it.

Leon walked to his closet and chose a pair of black slacks and a black buttoned shirt to wear for the day; he'd change into his practice clothes later. He stepped back after laying his clothes out on the bed and felt a sharp pain in the sole of his right foot.

"Damn!" He said not too loudly and looked down for what he thought must have been a thumbtack or something of the sort. What he found instead was what appeared to be a small silver chain with various ornaments hanging from it. Leon picked up the charm bracelet and inspected it for damage, not finding anything wrong, Leon noticed that it looked very familiar but couldn't quite place where he might have seen it, or how it ended up on the floor of his bedroom.

Scratching his head, Leon tried to remember where he'd seen it before. He shrugged, deciding that it wasn't important at the moment and would find out later.

* * *

><p>Sora stood in her dressing room staring at her new Christine costume. Today was the last dress rehearsal before the show which would premiere the next day. Sora's dress consisted of a white corset with puffed lace sleeves and a skirt that ended about six inches above her knees. Her corset was laced with a white ribbon in the back and her skirt consisted of 3 layered skirts with different lengths, almost as if it was torn, resulting in a very unique and interesting flare when she spun.<p>

Sora felt like an angel in all of the white she was wearing, or better yet, a princess and she loved it. Sora tied her hair back, put on a pair of white ballet flats and made her way to the stage.

Leon just stared at his costume. It wa

* * *

><p>s even more atrocious than he thought. He looked down at his black pinstriped pants. Now you may ask, "What's wrong with pinstripes?" The problem with this particular outfit was that the stripes along with the shirt and cape were a ghastly shade of orange some kind of mint green which in no way helped him put on an air of a "Phantom." They didn't even make the correct type of mask. He felt like the inhuman spawn of a freaking clown and Zorro!<p>

There was a knock at his door. "What?" He called with a little more venom in his voice than he meant to be heard. His door opened slightly and he was met with a pair of striking green eyes and a head of platinum blonde hair. She stifled a giggle at the sight of his getup.

"Annette." He glared; he knew that she very well knew that he abhorred being laughed at.

"I am sorry." She said in English. "You look, how you say, funny."

"Annette you can speak in French with me." He said, exasperated.

"I know, but I must work on English." She said in her thick accent.

"What do you want, Annette?" Leon sighed, exasperated.

She smiled sweetly as she stated, "I wish to borrow your car please."

"Can you really drive here?" Leon raised his eyebrows at her.

"Of course." She chirped like it was the most obvious thing, "I've driven all over Europe." She stared at him. "Why would you ask me such a thing?" She turned away from him.

"Annette," Leon sighed, rubbing his hand over his face, removing the mask. "They drive on the right side of the road here."

"Yes, yes I know zat." She said in a way that made Leon question whether she really did. "Please? "Her gaze found its way back to Leon.

Leon was a little skeptical about letting his friend drive his Aston Martin. He knew she was a good driver and all that, but it was his car! (You know, guys and their cars) "Well," Leon continued, "I suppose I can allow it for a little while."

Annette squealed and said her 'thank-you's' and '_merci_'s' and then she finally got a good look at what Leon was wearing. "Ze show is tomorrow, no?" She finally asked.

"Yes." Leon looked down at his costume in disgust.

"You cannot go out wearing zat." She laughed. "I simply will not allow it." She said with a wave of her hand. Her 'it' sounded more like 'eet' but that's beside the point, her eyes shone, a grin spread across her face, "Perhaps I can help."

* * *

><p>Sora waited on the platform above the trapeze, watching as the others performed their parts of the show, the dancers who were to play the opera cast, the young man who was to play Raoul, whom, in the original story was Christine's love but in this case was just longing to have her, among the others. She watched as May danced in the air, playing Carlotta, the jealous performer whom Christine replaced, her red dress glittering in the bright stage lights, her long black hair flowing behind her. She spun, leapt, and flipped higher than all the rest, clearly upstaging them all like the diva Carlotta was.<p>

Sora stretched as the others performed, pulling a muscle the day before opening night wouldn't be very good; at least she had an understudy. Sora pulled her leg behind her in a scorpion pose and looked out in time to see Leon take his place on the opposite platform, out of costume. _Maybe there's something wrong with the fitting, _she thought to herself. She caught his eye and waved. He returned the gesture and began his stretches. She couldn't help but stare at the way he twisted and guided his lithe body into positions that couldn't be pulled off by a normal 23 year old, but then again, he was not a normal man.

Sora was envious of his grace and the beauty of the way he guided his body into different poses, probably unaware of the fact that Sora was staring right at him like he was the most beautiful exhibit at an art museum.

Leon felt as though he was being watched. He looked up and met Sora's eyes, finally noticing that she was staring. He winked in her direction which elicited a blush from her, which she hoped he wouldn't notice.

Had he really winked at her? Sora laughed. Why would she think Leon would do such a thing, Leon wouldn't that, at least not at her, would he?

Leon smirked and turned his attention back to his stretches, it was going to be an interesting rehearsal.

* * *

><p>"Leon!" Cathy called as he stepped down from the stage. "Why aren't you in costume?" She said rather loudly, there were circles under her eyes and Leon could tell that she wasn't really in the mood to hear his excuses; she was always stressed the day before opening night. Cathy's attention turned back to the taping of the rehearsal and visibly seemed to relax. She seemed rather pleased with the performance apart from Leon's little stunt.<p>

Leon sighed. "I could not wear it." He said simply.

"Why not?" Cathy's attention was only half on what Leon was saying.

"I looked ridiculous," He replied flatly, "in no way does that costume even remotely resemble the Phantom." Then it all clicked.

"Wait," Cathy finally turned her full attention on Leon. "What do you mean you can't wear the costume?" She practically screamed. "It's the day before the show! What the hell are you going to do!" She started barking orders to the costume crew when Leon told her not to worry.

"Do not fret over such a trivial matter." Leon said calmly. "It will be ready for tomorrow; I can assure you of that." And without another word, Leon Oswald turned and walked away from the director, hoping Annette knew what she was doing.

* * *

><p>"Great job today, Sora." Someone called from behind her.<p>

"Thanks." She replied automatically without even really know who said it. Sora lingered backstage for a moment, almost dreading Cathy's critique, which was rather unusual for Sora. She was feeling a little more tired than usual and that made her a little more wary of her surroundings.

"I heard they were living together." Sora heard someone whisper.

"I heard she was some kind of royalty, the daughter of a Duke," A pause, "or maybe it was a Count."

Gossip. Sora tried not to listen. She knew from past experiences that nothing good ever came from taking part in gossip. Most of the time there wasn't an ounce of truth in it. She just kept walking, trying her best to ignore.

"But who knew that Leon would actually have a girlfriend." Sora's veins turned to ice.

* * *

><p>Cathy was watching the dancing scene yet again. It was nearly perfect, but something seemed to be missing, something to tie the whole thing together, but what?<p>

She watched as Leon pulled Sora from the air, as the stood, like living artwork on a single trapeze. She watched as the pulled closely together, almost as if they were one person, she could feel the anticipation build up between them, they pulled away.

"AH!" Cathy cried so suddenly that Mia dropped her clipboard. "Sora!" She yelled to the Japanese starlet hanging out near stag right. She seemed to be lost in thought; Cathy inferred by the way Sora jumped when her name was called. She seemed a little pale but

Cathy just chalked it up to being surprised.

Sora was still in her white costume, Cathy noted, as she walked quickly to her side.

"Y-yes?" She asked, almost as if she was an elementary school student, scared of getting her name put on the board.

"Come see this." Cathy ordered, indicating the taping. She replayed the scene yet again. "What do you see?"

Sora thought of her answer carefully, thinking it was a trick question. "I see, um," she swallowed quietly, "Christine and the Phantom dancing." Her voice cracked a little at the end of the sentence, almost as if it was a question. It seemed as though Sora was nervous about the show like Cathy was.

Cathy smiled. "Exactly," she paused, "But something's missing."

Sora tried to think of what she forgot. "Missing?" She stalled, trying to find her mistake.

"Yeah," Cathy continued, "Like something left unfinished." They both turned back to the screen, the scene played out until the two stood together. Sora seemed to pale at the image. Cathy chose to ignore this. "Right here." She paused the video right before Sora and Leon pulled apart.

"I don't understand." Sora finally admitted.

Cathy's face broke out into a grin. "Here's what you need to do." And she whispered something in Sora's ear.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Ugh." Sora groaned as she slowly sat up in bed. Her back cracked in about 4 different places and she felt slow, her head was pounding; it felt like it weighed 100 pounds, and her eyes burned when she blinked, this wasn't a good way to start any day, let alone the opening night of a new show. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and just sat still for a few minutes.

"You look like hell." Fool said from his perch on her dresser.

"Gee, thanks." Sora said, her voice a little hoarse. She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. She was tossing and turning, her stomach was queasy and she thought she had a small fever.

"Sorry." He looked at his feet.

Sora slowly stood up, knowing that if she stood up too fast the consequences wouldn't be very fun. She plodded her way to the bathroom and caught sight of her face in the mirror.

"Ugh." She groaned again. She saw the dark bruise-like circles around her eyes, a result of lack of sleep.

"What?" Fool materialized sitting on the faucet.

"I look like a zombie!" She whined.

"And from the looks of it, you feel like one too, right?" Fool added, not helping the situation any.

Sora shot him a glare that she guessed was pretty effective considering he disappeared on the spot. She sighed and opened the cabinet over the sink and took out the cold medicine and some vitamin C.

* * *

><p>The summer was always a great time for road trips, Annette thought as she made her way back from L.A. The open roads were perfect and she could actually relax as she drove, the radio turned to a classical music station. She drove with the window down in Leon's black Aston Martin GT. Annette loved sports cars, the speed, the power, the sleek look and aerodynamic feel of the sleek metal and soft leather upholstery. She felt the purr of the engine throughout her body as she shifted gears and raised her speed.<p>

She grinned at the thought of Leon cringing at how she pushed his car.

* * *

><p>Ken sat on the trapeze platform in one of the practice rooms, his legs hung over the side. The swing was hooked to a bar at the side of the platform. He stared at the swing across the open space. He closed his eyes and remembered.<p>

The wind rushed through his hair, his heart pounded as adrenaline coursed through his veins; his body was weightless as he flew through the air. There was nothing, he thought, that could physically compare to the feeling of flying. The rushing air, the weightlessness, the freedom; he just flew through open space without the hindrance of wires or nets, just him and the air. He heard the roar of the crowd as they watched him fly. Their gasp as he pulled a perfect layout, and appeared to nearly miss the bar.

He felt the strength as his hands grasped the opposite swing, and his body turned to stand on the trapeze, ready to leap into flight once again.

His eyes opened slowly as he savored the memory of flight, of a time when he was still a star. A sigh escaped him as a heavy feeling swelled within his chest. If only he hadn't fallen ill. If only his heart had never gone bad. If only fear hadn't overruled his desire to fly. If only he hadn't been such a coward. If only…

"Wait." Ken said to no one.

He stood quickly, faltering in his haste but quickly regaining his composure. He pushed up onto the toes of his right foot and brought his left leg up straight behind him. He swung his leg in front of him fast enough to push himself off the platform and landed on his right hand, balancing for a minute.

Even if Ken had stopped performing, he never really could let himself get weak. He still ran every day, rain or shine, and lifted weights when he got the chance, not that his clothing really did much to show off his tightly corded arms and legs. He could still jump well over his own height and lift nearly twice his weight over his head.

The only thing really holding him back was his fear. The fear of falling, the fear that he would be ridiculed… the fear that he'd fail. He thought back to when Sora first arrived at the stage. How she missed the auditions but didn't let that stop her. She was beheld with disdain by the stage's prima donna but still had the nerve to challenge her to a move the prima invented, on a medium she never used. Sora challenged Layla to perform the Golden Phoenix on the trapeze, when she had never even used a swing of the type, and she succeeded. If Sora could do it without any previous knowledge of the swings, why couldn't he when he knew exactly what to do?

Ken returned to his feet and unhooked the swing, grasping the bar firmly in his hands as adrenaline began to pump through his veins in a very nostalgic manner. He tested his grip and swallowed loudly, his throat suddenly dry. His breathing grew shallow until it stopped. His concentration was solely on the opposite trapeze swing, his mind void of all else. His feet left the platform.

* * *

><p>The halls of the Kaleido Stage were bustling that morning in a way that could only mean a new show was starting. The stage hands took an inventory of the props needed; Jean and his men did a few last minute inspections and adjustments with his daughter Marion and a now full grown Jonathan in tow.<p>

Marion was now 15 and a part time performer on the Kaleido Stage. She still performed on the children's stage along with her pet seal Jonathan. Along with going to high school, Marion performs as a trampoline artist in the shows featured on the stage, becoming more like her mother all the time. Marion was playing a dancer in the day's production of The Phantom of the Opera and she was having a few pre-show jitters, but not in a bad way.

Her body felt light, and she was feeling anxious and excited at the same time. Her palms were sweating a little and she could hear her heart beating in her ears but she felt good. The butterflies made her feel like she could do anything. She smiled at the thought of flying along with the rest of the performers, of soaring through the air and feeling the magic that can only be experienced on the stage. She looked around to see that everyone was beginning to warm up; keeping loose for the show, for some people, stretching was a way to curb the anxiety of doing a show, to calm the butterflies.

"Daddy I need to go." She called to Jean as he and his men made some adjustments to the swings and platforms.

"Alright," He called back from his perch, "Have fun!"

Marion made her way backstage to dawn her new costume.

* * *

><p>The walk from the dorms wasn't too far, that Leon was thankful for as he made his way to the stage. He'd have had an interesting time trying to actually be on time if he'd lived farther, considering he slept in a little later than usual and Annette had his car.<p>

"At least the weather is nice." Leon said aloud to no one. He had pulled his hair back into a loose braid and wore a pair of black slacks and charcoal grey shirt. The summer heat did nothing to deter him from his style. I mean sure, he may be thinking better about wearing dark colors in the sun, but it didn't matter much to him. Leon wasn't one to wear shorts, or sandals, he barely even owned a pair of jeans, let alone light colored t-shirts.

The light of the sun seemed to glare from every surface, making Leon thankful for the sunglasses he was wearing. The beautiful weather was one of the reasons he liked living in Cape Mary, California. But the weather wasn't the only thing that was beautiful. He let his thoughts wander as he walked, and found himself anxious… anxious to be near her.

* * *

><p>The medicine helped a bit. Sora's head felt clear and less like it was about to explode and the queasiness subsided a bit, which was a plus considering the amount of movement and spinning she would need to do. Her face was still a little flushed when she looked in her dressing room mirror, but at least that way she wouldn't need to wear blush, and the less makeup the better; Sora didn't like feeling like she was wearing a pliable mask like some people who put on so much make up that their faces could actually peel off if exposed to enough stage light, or maybe just crack in half.<p>

Sora may have still had a slight fever but she wasn't going to let that bring her down. She set to work, applying her make up where it was needed and decided to only put on her costume right before going out; pure white was known to stain easily.

She worked on accenting her eyes a little, just to make them stand out a bit more, lining them with a light lavender and a tint of glitter, she knew from past shows that the glitter and metallics popped amazingly in the stage lights. She pulled her hair up into a loose up do with some curls falling free from the pins. The pins were secure, but the effect of loose looking hair was great.

She stood back from the mirror, admiring her handy work and decided she looked great, if she did say so herself. She was ready, well, about as ready as she could be before putting on her costume. She used her time to stretch, hoping to calm the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. They were fluttering for more reasons than one.

* * *

><p>"Where is he?" May said aloud to no one in particular. She wore a bright red corseted dress accented with gold ribbons and embroidery, fluttery short sleeves and a very low neckline. The dress wasn't unlike the skater's costumes she was used to from her figure skating days. The hem of the skirt seemed to barely cover the tops of her thighs, but May wasn't <em>that<em> modest. Her hair wasn't pulled into an elaborate up do as one might expect, but rather curled and left loose, her lips accented with red lipstick to match her dress; she fully looked the part of the diva.

There was still about an hour before the show and May was looking for her boyfriend. Ken Robbins wasn't one to disappear before the show, he was always the one making last minute checks of anything and everything and never seemed to be able to sit still, but now he seemed to have just disappeared.

"What the hell!" May said a little too loudly, earning a few awkward stares from passersby and stage hands. She ignored them and continued on her way. She had a few pre-show jitters herself and felt that maybe seeing Ken may ease them a bit, but it wouldn't work unless Ken was actually there, which was kind of the point.

"Have you seen Ken?" She asked one of the girls from the costume department, she was carrying a swath of glittering cloth to make last minute adjustments to a costume.

"I think he went that way," the girl answered, indicating the practice rooms. She seemed to be in a rush.

"Thanks." May said and continued on her way, not wanting to delay the girl. Everyone was so on edge at that moment, with the show being only an hour away. Everybody was doing their last minute checks and adjustments, why they waited till the last minute, May will probably never know. She saw Charlotte and Julie hurrying by with boxes in their arms, whispering to each other as they walked. Those girls seemed to be constantly gossiping, I mean they knew what you were doing tomorrow before even you did. May thought she heard them mention Leon's name but decided not to pursue it; they were probably ranting about why they weren't chosen to play his lover in the play, that they were the best choice, blah, blah, blah; the usual stuff. Even though they were now on friendly terms with Sora didn't stop the envy.

They shuffled by and May just continued on her way to the practice rooms. She walked up to the first room and peeked her head in, it was pitch dark. She continued to the next one and walked in on a two stage hands in a very questionable position. She muttered a quick apology and ducked out before they really had a chance to notice. It wasn't the first time something like that happened; she'd walked in on people who were where they shouldn't have been on multiple occasions; it didn't really faze her anymore.

As a lesson learned from the last practice room, May knocked softly before entering the next one. She heard a muffled grunt and a creak from the other side of the door. Taking it as a sign of permission to enter, May walked in; at the sight she remained silent.

* * *

><p><em>Where is she?<em> Leon paced in his dressing room, his shoulders heavy with dread. The show wasn't even twenty minutes away, and Annette was nowhere to be found. She'd said she'd fix his costume, he'd trusted her, and now there he was; costume-less and less than a half an hour away from the opening of the new show.

Leon paused and looked at himself in the mirror; he'd finished his makeup minutes earlier. His stage makeup was one of the things he felt he should do himself. While some others would rather have their faces changed and covered beyond their control by someone else, Leon liked to be in control of his appearance. He went with his own depiction of the phantom. Along the right side of his face ran a web of what appeared to be raised and darkened skin, running from above his eyebrow down past the corner of his mouth, almost seeming to make him leer at all around him. Around his right eye was a dark, nearly black smudge, making it look like he had either a severe lack of sleep or got into a badly ending bar fight. The effect was great, Leon succeeded in making the side of his face look disfigured, almost like he'd been badly burned.

Leon only hoped that the scars weren't too frightening, he remembered how his performance as Dracula had scared the children in the audience. As shocking as it may be, Leon had gained a little compassion in his years of working on the Kaleido Stage, along with Sora; it seemed as though her kindness and compassion may have rubbed off on him.

He glanced back at the clock, only 15 minutes left.

"Where the hell is she?" He groaned to himself. He knew he could always count on Annette but this was cutting it too close.

"Who?" Came a voice from the door. Leon nearly jumped out of his skin. He turned from the mirror to see a young lady in a pink sundress with loose platinum curls and four inch white strappy sandals.

"Annette!" Leon cried in relief mixed with anger. Annette stood leaning in the doorway, a sly grin on her face and a garment bag tucked under one arm. "Ever heard of knocking?" Leon said exasperatedly as he brought his heart rate back to normal. "Where were you?"

"Hello Leon," she smiled, "I have returned. I had such wonderful time, sank you for asking. Yes I hear of knocking, and I have been, uh, visiting _un ami_." She reverted back to French at the end of the sentence. Leon had to admit, Annette was a fast learner and her English was getting better every day. "You look awful," she added, and grinned. "_J'adore!"_ she clapped.

"My costume, _sil vouz plait._" Leon said impatiently, "The show is in less than 15 minutes!"

"_Oui, oui!" _she shoved the garment bag into Leon's arms. "_Bonne chance!"_she cried as she bolted out the door in a mass of platinum curls and pink silk.

* * *

><p>Sora stood, fully outfitted before the mirror. 5 minutes until show time. Her costume felt a little tight; maybe she strung the corset tighter than usual. She applied a last minute layer of lip gloss and gave herself a onceover before turning out the door. Her heart was pounding, adrenaline coursed through her veins. Her hands shook slightly as she reached for the knob. She was excited.<p>

"Break a leg!" someone called from down the hall as she made her way to the platform

"Thanks!" she called back cheerfully. People were still bustling about; making sure props were in the right places and whatnot. Sora spotted Annette, who smiled and waved, flashing her a thumbs up which Sora returned. Her chest felt heavy as she remembered what Cathy had said the day before. She shook her head and wiped the thought away; she had to do whatever it took to make the show a success and the best yet.

Sora made it to the ladder at stage right. The ladders and platforms were off to the sides of the stage where they were out of the audience's sight. They were very high up to achieve maximum velocity while swinging. The set was the Paris Opera House and the lights were down. Sora turned to look behind her, to see if there were any signs from Cathy. She saw a familiar head of red hair. Her heart leapt from the excitement of seeing an old friend. She smiled and began to climb, now even more determined to make this a great show.

* * *

><p>From the platform, Leon saw all. He sat perched in the rafters above the stage, a swing hooked to his right, ready for the phantom to make his entrance. He was to swing down and land in the rafters built on set, where he was to watch the young dancers from the shadows, while his attention was focused on one particular girl. He sat and waited for his que, the half mask he wore sticking to the fake skin on his face. Annette had thought of everything.<p>

Leon looked down and saw the Sora had made her entrance as Christine and immediately his breath was stolen away. The music began to change; it was time for the Phantom to appear.

Leon grabbed the swing firmly in his hands and leapt from the rafters. He felt the ropes grow taught as the swing caught his weight and sent him gliding to the next rafters, these ones in the audience's sight. He heard the "oohs" and cries of surprise from the audience as he pulled a twisted backwards layout and landed gracefully in a crouch on the lower rafters. He crept along, his attention solely on the one dancer that stole his breath; Leon was fully the Phantom now.

* * *

><p>Christine looked like an angel, in pure white garb. Her eyes shone in the bright stage lights, lavender shadow making them sparkle like a thousand diamonds. Her smile rivaled the rising sun. She danced with passion; her lithe body moved with grace that would make a prima ballerina envious as she stole the eyes and hearts of all around her.<p>

The phantom was completely under her spell, his heart was hers. He longed to pull Christine into his arms, to hide her away from the world. The Phantom watched and moved along the stage, out of the sight of the dancers, keeping to the shadows, but staying where he could see the keeper of his heart.

The dancers began to pull elaborate gymnastic routines. There were ten dancers on the floor. Six of the dancers formed two pyramids. Two dancers held one in the air, facing the other group. With a quick thrust from both parties, the two flyers were flipping and turning through the air, switching positions and landing in a handstand held up by the arms of the supporters from the pyramid, legs spread apart.

The four remaining dancers, Sora and May as Christine and Carlotta among them, took turns leaping from the trampolines and pulling elaborate stunts, such as twisted layouts, helicopters, dives, and others through the legs of the two flyers, landing with grace on the other side. The dancers then surrounded Christine as she leapt onto a trampoline, jumping higher and higher with each bounce.

Carlotta feeling upstaged, forced her way onto the trampoline alongside Christine. Her desperation showed in her moves. Carlotta gave Christine a violent shove, causing her to be thrust from the trampoline, eliciting gasps and screams from the audience. The dancers rushed and, all arms extended, caught the flying dancer. The Phantom, tired of these games, moved directly above Carlotta.

With a wicked grin on his face, the Phantom pulled a wire, there was a loud popping sound and then screams from both the audience and the dancer as the curtain fell, taking Carlotta down with it.

He watched with a kind of wicked satisfaction showing across his face as the stage hands (the ones in the show) attempted to move the heavy curtain and uncover the fallen diva.

The dancers began to leave the stage. It was time for Christine to meet the "Angel of Music" from her dreams.

* * *

><p><em>It's almost time,<em> Sora thought as she began to dance alone on the stage. She gracefully glided across the stage to a set of lower swings; they were attached to a set of heightened gymnastics bars. Sora leapt and stood on one of the swings, launching herself up directly above the trampoline. She pulled a ballet pose, wrapped her arms around herself, as if she was giving a hug, and fell. She landed sitting on the trampoline and was launched back into the air, simultaneously doing a backwards layout and straightening to a standing position. Sora looked up. There was a trapeze swing suspended directly above her. She reached her apex and began her descent again, this time she pulled a somersault on the way down, landing on her feet and using the force of the fall to vault herself back into the air as she reached for the swing.

She was almost to the swing when she felt the air shift around her, she was no longer moving up, so much as swinging sideways. There was an arm about her waist; the Phantom had made his appearance.

* * *

><p>Sora's breath caught in her throat as she took in Leon's appearance. He wore black pants that looked like slacks, but Sora knew that they must have been made of a type of spandex; the fibers were soft as they brushed against her skin. he was clad in a deep purple dress shirt and black waistcoat with a silver chain hanging from a pocket. His domino cloak fluttered as they flew through the air. His beautiful face was half hidden by white mask that only covered the right side of his face that came down near the corner of his mouth. His hair was left free to flow through the air; they began their first dance.<p>

This scene was where the Phantom took Christine down to his home beneath the opera house, a duet of sorts in play. They moved with elegance and grace, not a single fault or error, it was simply perfect. Sora and Leon flew together as the Phantom and Christine. The Phantom attempted to woo Christine with wonderful moves and graceful flight. The girl was completely awestruck as the Phantom convinced her to take her place as the Prima Donna of the Opera. They moved together, two souls finding each other. They stood precariously perched on a single swing, chest to chest, and moving closer, their faces only inches apart and closing. There was a sound from the stage, a clock tolled, Sora reluctantly pulled away, Leon held her hand as she pulled away, longing filled his eyes as he played his part, not wanting to separate from his love.

* * *

><p>The masquerade ball was among the most important scenes in the show; Cathy knew this as she'd helped Mia write the script for it. It was a scene that depicted a love triangle in the act. One where Christine is caught between her feelings for her mentor, the Phantom, and her childhood friend, Raoul, who was played by a young man of the same age as Leon, 23, with sandy blonde hair and hazel eyes. Christine danced as the two men vied for her attention. The Phantom had substituted his half mask, for a full domino mask that covered from his forehead to his nose.<p>

Christine danced along with Raoul, almost in a game of merriment. They would swing apart from each other, each pulling their own sets of layouts and somersaults, only to come back together, touching hands palm to palm and spinning together on a tightrope strung across the center of the stage among other couples dancing at the ball.

As Christine/Sora and Raoul began to pull closer together, she would be snatched away by the Phantom in a manner that can only be described as an aerial tango filled with passion and beauty. They spun together from one swing to the next, constantly remaining in physical contact, flush against each other in a way that may have made them seem like lovers. At the end of the ball, the Phantom must leave, Christine is left in longing as Raoul attempts to console her in her longing, he could not even fathom what she was longing for.

* * *

><p>The chase begins. The Phantom had kidnapped Raoul in attempt to lure Christine to him. Raoul was held aloft by a single rope, seemingly unconscious. Christine seemed afraid, but not exactly afraid of the Phantom himself, but more for the life of her childhood friend. She attempted to distract the Phantom. Hoping she could convince him to free her friend.<p>

She leapt over him, through the wires suspending the trapeze; Leon gazed up at her, determination evident in his expression, the mask unable to hide his emotions. She caught the next swing, twisting her body to land standing on the swing, she used her legs to force the trapeze to accelerate, bringing her higher as she leapt away from the Phantom as he gave chase. He followed her every move, perfectly mimicking them although he was always one swing behind her. She could feel his patience wearing thin as he gained on her.

Leon had forgotten when he stopped thinking of Sora as Christine, was it the masquerade ball, or perhaps their duet, but he felt that the act was becoming less of an act. He was losing himself in his role. His hands ached to hold her, his body was cold without her and his mind was focused only on her. He picked up his pace, this chase needed to come to an end. He vaulted himself in her direction as she leapt into the air.

Sora saw him coming and was ready for the impact. His arms wrapped around her and their direction changed. He carried her princess style through the air as they flew to the tightrope. Sora pulled her eyes from his, albeit reluctantly, as her character was supposed to do and gazed up to Raoul, tears in her eyes.

The Phantom could see her love for her friend, and it broke his heart because he knew it would take her from him. He wanted nothing more than to keep her with him for the rest of eternity, but couldn't live with himself if it made her hate him. With despair evident in his movements, Leon climbed the ropes holding the closest swing and launched himself to the rope holding Raoul; he lightly slapped his face as the Phantom was to do to arouse the man. Leon untied him and brought him down to the tightrope where he was reunited with Christine. Raoul tightly embraced her and made a gesture to say "We need to leave." The Phantom approached and Raoul hid Christine/Sora behind him, trying to protect her from the Phantom. Leon's face showed hurt, as the Phantom knew he no longer had the trust of the woman who owned his heart. He turned away, prepared to jump from the rope; the Phantom no longer had a reason to live.

Sora/Christine jumped over Raoul and put herself between him and the Phantom/Leon. She looked to Raoul in an almost apologetic manner and gestured for him to go. Raoul looked confused and made a move to say "Not without you."

She smiled at him and made the gesture again. Raoul, finally understanding, turned to leave with one last longing glance to his childhood friend and first love Christine as he left, the audience was silent as Sora and Leon were left alone on the wire, the Phantom and Christine left to put an end to the story. _This is it, _Sora thought, _it's now or never._

She moved slowly and deliberately toward Leon, who played the part of the wounded Phantom perfectly. Her hand gently moved to his stooped shoulder, she pressed herself to his back, hugging him under his arms. He started and slowly began to turn. Sora pulled away slightly, giving him room to turn. There was a crash from the stage as Raoul stormed in holding a torch followed by a group of men. Raoul had returned with a mob, he was going to put an end to the Phantom once and for all and save his love.

Christine was afraid. She was afraid of what the men would do to the phantom, he'd destroyed part of the opera house, sabotaged Carlotta's performance and kidnapped Raoul and now was seemingly holding Christine hostage. The men had not yet seen Sora and Leon. Now what they had rehearsed was for Sora to take his mask, gaze longingly into his face and urge him to hide. She would take the mask down to the mob, and convince them that the Phantom had surrendered himself to his fate, that she'd killed him; she was to leave with them, leaving behind the phantom, leaving him to live, leaving him so they could meet again.

Sora looked directly into Leon's eyes as he held her to him, protecting her from the mob as well as from falling. Her hands moved to his face as her fingers gently caressed his features, his high cheekbones, strong brow, the silk of his full lips and the mask that covered his deformity. Sora gently removed the mask, exposing the burns he'd covered as the Phantom. The Phantom turned away in shame, afraid the scars would frighten his love. Sora, as Christine and herself, gently took his face in her hands and turned it so his eyes bet hers; her fingers grazed the fake scars.

She closed her eyes and moved forward, closing the distance between them as her lips brushed against his.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:  **Sorry for the wait everyone, i had finals and stuff so i never really go the chance to work on this, i also had to replace my laptop. sorry i took so long to upload, Enjoy!

Chapter 7

Leon was unsure how to react. He looked away in shame as his character was supposed to, he didn't move as Sora stepped closer. The crowd gasped as the grotesqueness of his face was unveiled, Sora didn't flinch. Her hand moved to his face, her fingertips gently traced the raised bumps across his face, they hadn't rehearsed this. He stood perfectly still and hoped the fake skin wasn't sticky anymore. Her fingers moved from his face and she looked straight into his eyes. Her eyes fluttered closed as she moved in.

He was caught off guard, but the audience couldn't know that. Her lips were soft and warm against his and he knew she could tell he was surprised. _This wasn't part of the scene,_ he thought, _but the audience doesn't know that_. Despite the unexpectedness of the action, Sora's lips felt like warm silk, and strangely familiar. The heat spread through Leon's body, he felt as though he couldn't control his actions as his arms moved to envelope Sora's petite frame, he pulled her flush against him and returned the kiss.

"_I can't do that!" Sora nearly screamed when Cathy whispered in her ear. _

"_Why not?" Cathy asked. "You're both actors, both performers, just think of it as another act, a kiss can't be as bad as the way you're pressed together when you perform."_

"_But he-" has a girlfriend, she didn't finish the statement out loud. Leon hadn't really said anything himself, Sora thought as the icy feeling in her chest spread; at least he hadn't to her. Her chest felt heavy as she thought of the idea of Leon holding someone other than her in his arms. She mentally slapped herself, of course he'd held others, she wasn't his first partner._

"_Just do it, It'll tie the whole thing together." Cathy finished and Sora knew there was no winning an argument against Cathy._

Sora felt Leon tense up. _Oh no,_ she thought, she feared he'd pull away, for more reasons than one. _Just play along!_ She willed and much to her relief, his arms wrapped around her in a tight embrace and his lips softened against hers, she felt his lips part slightly as she breathed in his scent. Leon tasted of mint and spice, she felt his strong hands move up her back and hers found their way into his hair. It was as if all time had stopped. Neither of them heard the crowd cheer, neither of them noticed the mob left after they found the mask on the ground, and neither of them noticed anything but each other. Everything just seemed right in that moment. Sora forgot about Annette, about the audience, even about the need for air, but it seems they both forgot that one as they pulled apart slowly; she discreetly inhaled Leon's spice and lavender scent as he pulled her into an embrace. There they stayed until the lights began to dim, the crowd cheered, Sora gasped silently. She had completely forgotten about the audience, Sora froze up and she was sure Leon noticed. Then Leon did something unexpected, He scooped Sora into his arms and held her tightly to his chest as he leapt out into the darkness that was the trapeze platform, the Phantom finally got his love.

* * *

><p>Leon could feel Sora tense up as they pulled apart, the crowd went wild and he knew that the ending of the show didn't go as planned. To say he was caught off guard was an understatement, he never thought Sora would have kissed him, let alone in front of the whole audience, what was happening? He struggled to slow his heart back to normal as he held Sora in his arms, hoping she wouldn't notice. He needed to act fast, in was completely intolerable for performers to be lost on stage, they couldn't just stay there; the audience would know it wasn't planned. A thought struck him. The Phantom never seemed to be able to keep his love; he was doomed to die alone in the darkness of the underground caverns he called home. But this show wasn't going as plan, so he may as well ad-lib a little more.<p>

Leon scooped Sora up into his arms, she relaxed against him, a sign of trust, as he'd come to learn. He quickly and discreetly looked around and found his target. Aiming for the side platform, Leon jumped with Sora in his arms. What the audience saw, was the two lovers escaping, never to be seen again.

Backstage was still a little dim as Leon set Sora on her feet, the house lights began to brighten, signaling the ending of the show, he knew Cathy was right on top of things as usual. Leon noticed Sora step away a little quicker than he would have liked. He heard the others' footsteps as the cast made their way backstage. Sora wouldn't look at him; his chest felt heavy. Leon raised a hand to her, his mouth parted as he was about to speak, but he seemed at a loss for words. He let his arm go limp at his side and turned away, his heart still speeding. He needed to think.

* * *

><p>Sora could feel her face heat up as Leon set her on her feet backstage, the audience was till cheering as the house lights began to glow, Sora couldn't bring herself to look at Leon. The rest of the crew came out to congratulate them on a successful show; Sora smiled and accepted their praises. She was glad for a distraction but also apprehensive; she was scared to see Leon's reaction and she hoped he wouldn't hate her.<p>

"Thank you." She heard him say to a crew member as they congratulated him on the show, her face flushed more.

"Sora!" yelled a familiar voice, she turned to see a familiar young redhead run to her, though she wasn't quite so tall the last time Sora saw her.

"Rosetta!" Sora cried as the young diablo performer nearly tackled her to the ground. Rosetta was now 19 and fully grown; standing a few inches taller than Sora with her hair grown a little past her shoulders now, her gray eyes shown as she hugged her old friend. Sora couldn't help but gush at how much Rosetta had grown since they last saw each other, she looked good, how she'd missed her, the usual stuff. "How was Berlin?" Sora asked as the pulled apart.

"It was great!" She cried, Rosetta had been doing an international tour with various circuses doing a mix of trapeze and the diablo, her training on the swings had paid off over the years and she now guest starred in many shows all over the world. "The weather was awesome! And the sights were amazing!" She beamed. "And so were some of my partners," she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, Sora couldn't help but giggle.

"Hey, Leon!" Rosetta cried when she looked past Sora, she jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug; Sora couldn't help but look at him now and couldn't help but laugh at the look of shock on his face right then. He brought an arm up and patted Rosetta on the back awkwardly as he greeted her.

"It is nice to see you too." He replied with a hint of a smile on his face.

"Rosetta, you made it." Sora nearly jumped three feet into the air. She was so caught up in Leon's smile that she never even noticed Kalos standing behind her.

"Hey, Kalos!" Rosetta gave him a hug also, she'd missed everyone. "How's Sarah?"

"Sarah is just fine!" They heard the British woman call over the noise of the crowd that was now backstage. The blonde singer walked up and wrapped Rosetta in an embrace, everyone was excited to see her, even May seemed to be stuck to her side.

"Wow, you look great!" Rosetta said, indicating the black dress she was wearing. Sarah was clothed in a knee length black dress which was shorter on one side that the other and had an halter neckline that dipped low and hugged her body almost like a second skin, her waist length chestnut blonde hair was pulled into a loose yet elegant bun at the top of her head; she looked ravishing.

"We were just about to go out for a late dinner." Sarah explained as Sora finally saw how Kalos was dressed, he wore black slacks and a white buttoned shirt, a change from his normal shorts and buttoned short-sleeved shirt. Sarah and Kalos had been together for a long time, though at first Kalos didn't really want to admit his feelings for Sarah, he'd even urged her to go sing in New York at some point, feeling like he was holding her back, but she stayed because she loved him.

"We don't want to hold you guys up." May said from next to Sora, she was still in her Carlota costume and Sora could tell she was just itching to get out of it. Ken jogged up behind the group that now consisted of Anna, Mia, May, Sora, Leon and a few others. Ken had been finishing some last minute details in the control booth, taking care of the show's tapes and whatnot. Rosetta attacked him next, earning a glare from May, but May quickly got over it and laughed at Ken's reaction.

"Wow, Rosetta, you've grown!" Ken laughed holding her at arm's length.

"I am nineteen after all!" She laughed, "What did you expect!"

"Not for you to be almost taller than me, that's what!" This elicited a laugh from all around.

"Leon," Kalos called over the noise, "Can you lock up for me?"

"Of course." Leon said evenly.

"Thank's," To Sarah, "We'll be late for our reservations."

"By all means," Sarah said, glancing at her watch, "Let's go."

"I'll talk to you tomorrow, Kalos," Rosetta called.

"Have fun!" Sora called. She turned to see Annette by Leon's side, Sora had nearly forgotten that she was back and her heart dropped to her stomach; she was sure that Annette had seen the kiss. Annette smiled at Leon and then saw Sora, her smile stayed in place and she waved with much enthusiasm, Sora tried to smile back but a feeling of unease settled about her. Leon began speaking again so Annette turned back to face him, he seemed to be introducing her to Rosetta.

Sora's stomach began to feel a bit queasy and she suddenly felt very hot. Her medicine must have worn off and the excitement seemed to be too much since Sora was feeling unwell. She became a little light headed.

"Are you feeling okay, Sora?" Mia asked, concern showed on her face. "You look a little flushed."

Sora could feel the others turn to look at her. "I'm fine," she replied, "just an upset stomach is all." Anna moved forward a put a hand to Sora's forehead and placed the other on her own.

"You do feel a little warm, are you sure you're okay?" She questioned.

"I'm fine," Sora insisted, she could hear the slight irritation in her voice and hoped nobody else caught it; she had no clue why she was irritated though, her friends were just showing concern. Her stomach twisted; maybe she was getting the flu, hopefully not for she had another show the next day.

Leon chose this moment to speak up. "You should rest." Everybody stared at him now, it wasn't much like him to voice his concerns but then again Sora had been his partner for a few years now and he knew that performing when not fully rested could be potentially dangerous.

"But I should help clean up and everything, it wouldn't be right for me to leave it all to you guys." Sora insisted.

"Just go," May said, pushing Sora in the direction of her dressing room, "we can handle it just fine without you."

"But-" Sora began, only to be cut off by May again. In her mind, Sora knew there was no winning this argument.

* * *

><p>Annette couldn't help but notice the way Leon watched Sora as she walked away. His eyes seemed to be drawn to her and Annette didn't think Leon noticed it himself. Annette had seen the way Leon's face lit up as soon as Sora walked into a room, though he'd mastered his poker face so well that only one who's known him for years would be able to pick up on it. She'd seen how he'd watch her and knew he thought of her, that kiss was only going to cement her into his mind even more than she already was. Annette couldn't help but smile at her discovery; she'd never seen Leon so smitten.<p>

She turned to Leon and said "Well done, the show was very entertaining." Her English was getting better every day. In French she said "You seemed to enjoy that particular scene," mischief lined her words as her statement brought a little pink into his cheeks, he turned away and walked toward his own dressing room, Annette knew he was trying to hide it, but she took his silence as a yes. She walked back to the group with a sly grin on her face.

* * *

><p>Sora felt even worse the next day, her nausea seemed to have subsided a bit but her head felt like someone had used it as a soccer ball and she was exhausted even though she'd had at least 8 hours of sleep. She dreaded having to go to practice that day.<p>

Sora finally managed to drag herself out of bed when she was then attacked by an onslaught of goose bumps and chills. She immediately decided to jump in the shower and try to clear her head. Her headache didn't go away any when she emerged twenty minutes later, her stomach twisted a little as she brushed her teeth, the mint seemed to upset her stomach a bit. She opened the medicine cabinet and took some painkillers for her head, hoping the throbbing would subside by the time she had to practice.

* * *

><p>The stage was busy as usual when Sora walked in later that morning. Stage hands were running back and forth, shouting to each other to see who moved what the night before. There was another show scheduled for that night and people were doing their rounds again, for the fortieth time, but the Kaleido Stage isn't the best for nothing.<p>

Sora was wearing a pair of white shorts and a baby blue tank top, her hair was pulled into a lazy looking bun and she had bags under her eyes. Nobody really noticed on account of being too busy to even see her. Sora made her way to her dressing room to change into her practice clothes.

* * *

><p>May stood outside the practice room just listening. She would hear squeaks and grunts from the other side and she smiled. The swings could handle the strain; that's what they were made for. She heard a dull thud as the net caught Ken. She heard him grunt as he pulled himself back up.<p>

She sometimes liked to just listen to him practice; it was kind of inspiring in a way that he'd want to continue after so many years of not performing. She moved on to rehearsals with a newfound energy.

She nearly ran into Sora as she left her dressing room.

"You look like hell!" May said when she really saw Sora's face. She had dark circles under her eyes, her skin was pale and she looked physically drained.

"Gee, thanks." Sora said sarcastically. She rubbed her temple as she tried to stifle a yawn.

"You all set for the show tonight?" May asked, concerned. She rose placed her hand on Sora's forehead, "You still feel feverish."

"I'll be fine," Sora sighed, brushing her hand off, "I'll just take a nap or something later." She started walking towards the stage. Leon was yet again laughing with Annette and that did nothing to help Sora's mood.

He gave a small wave and returned to his conversation, Sora nodded in his direction.

Sarah was there today along with Layla, they were speaking to Cathy about the show; Sarah liked to tell the crew about the audience's comments and Layla occasionally stopped by just to see how things were doing. Sora waved to them and got to work.

Sora started stretching; her limbs felt like they weighed a hundred pounds each and her back was stiff. She spent more time warming up than usual and Leon seemed to take notice, not that she knew.

May went over to Sarah and started talking about who knows what when she gasped loudly enough that everybody actually stopped what they were doing to look at her.

May was holding Sarah's left hand and seemed to be inspecting it rather closely, her eyes wide and her mouth agape; she was silent for once.

Charlotte and Julie went to see what May was so shocked about when Julie nearly screamed. "Look at that ring!"

Suddenly all the females in the room crowded about Sarah and the air was filled with excited squeals, Sora was the last one to get there and saw what all the commotion was about. There on Sarah's left ring finger was a shining princess cut diamond set in a stunning white-gold band that shone in the stagelights.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Hey everybody, i tried to be a bit faster with this chapter, hope you enjoy it and please review!**

Chapter 8

"Oh… my… wow." Sora heard May mutter under her breath, she seemed at a loss for words, but so was Sora. Kalos had finally proposed, and that was something nobody ever would have expected, at least not those who've worked with him for a while. Layla was smiling brightly behind Sarah who was giving the sun a run for its money.

If you knew Layla Hamilton, you knew about her many assets; her name for one, her money, and her connections. And if you really knew Layla, you'd know that she knew how to put them to good use, and that was why the engagement party was to be that Saturday, when no shows were scheduled though there may have been at some point; Sora had a feeling that Layla had something to do with that also, but hey performers occasionally need a day off too. What was surprising though was how soon it was happening, considering it was Thursday and the party was Saturday.

"So soon?" Annette asked from behind everyone, she hadn't been there very long so she didn't know how Layla worked.

"Well…" Sarah began but Layla cut her off excitedly.

"The reservations are already made for the Cape Mary Grande Hotel; my dad saved them from going under some years ago so they kind of owe him." Layla began talking about what time everybody needed to be there and the dress code and other stuff that didn't seem too important to some but extremely important to Layla; such as what color the table cloths were going to be and the type of food served and all that jazz.

Sarah just seemed to be in shock due to how fast this was happening and was wondering just what kind of monster she'd set loose. Layla was still talking about color schemes when the subject of bridesmaids came into play and Sarah's eyes just lit up.

"Okay so everybody make sure you're free the 16th!" Layla said loudly to make sure she was heard.

"What for?" May asked, she'd finally stopped gaping at the ring long enough to catch on to the conversation.

"The wedding of course!" Layla replied like it was the most obvious answer.

"What?" May screeched. The whole room broke into a loud chatter

"But that's only two weeks away!" Sora cut in this time, nearly shouting in order to be heard over the noise.

"Well we need to do this before Kalos changes his mind!" Layla said and Sarah laughed, she was still in shock from everything, but it seemed to be a good kind of shock and she couldn't have found a more capable wedding planner. Sora got the feeling that Layla was just getting started and that Sarah wasn't going to be able to do much to stop her apart from giving her opinions and picking the colors. Layla had known Sarah for the longest of all of the workers apart from Kalos himself, so she knew what she liked and what Kalos would approve of. With Layla's connections how could any venue say no to hosting this wedding and from what Sora knew of Layla, she probably already had it all planned.

Rehearsals that day went on like normal for the most part after Sarah and Layla left to discuss wedding plans. From what Sora could tell, either Kalos completely trusted Sarah's and Layla's judgment or he had no say in the matter at all and as Layla said herself, "All he'll have to do is show up in a tux."

* * *

><p>Sora was still a little stiff during the rehearsal and Leon wasn't the only one who noticed.<p>

"What's the matter with you today Sora?" Cathy called as they paused between scenes. "You're moving like someone strapped you to a pole."

"Nothing." Sora called, her stomach twisted. "I think I just slept weird last night, I'll be fine."

"I do hope so for your sake," Annette said from the sidelines. "We would not want you to get injured." She said in her thick accent. No matter how strangely she felt when Annette was with Leon, Sora just couldn't bring herself to hate her.

"Thank you." She said genuinely, she didn't notice Leon staring.

"Alright!" Cathy yelled. "Let's take it from the top!"

* * *

><p>Sora felt underdressed. She stood surrounded by rich men clad in Armani, women clad in Christian Dior carrying Chanel purses and walking in Jimmy Choo's and she was just standing there in her simple blue dress that she thought would have been the perfect thing to wear that morning.<p>

Sora had on the knee-length navy blue dress she'd bought a few weeks earlier with a pair of silver strappy sandals she'd borrowed from May; being nearly the same size had its advantages. Sora felt out of place; like a rock in a jewelry store.

"Hey wallflower, what's up?" Called a familiar voice. Sora turned to see a young man with sandy blond hair and hazel eyes that looked more green than brown in the ballroom lights.

"Hey Andrew," Sora replied. Andrew was the performer who played Raoul in the Kaleido Stage's production of the Phantom of the Opera. He was the same age as Leon but looked younger with his boyish charm and great sense of humor. Andrew was the kind of person who could get along with almost anybody and quickly made a place for himself in the cast. Not only was he a good performer but he also made people laugh and was game for pretty much anything. Andrew held a flute of champagne in his hand and was dressed in a simple black suit and tie and he was working it. "Enjoying the party?"

"Oh yeah, it's a blast!" he said excitedly with a hint of sarcasm. "I'm just hoping that if I stand close enough some of the wealth will rub off on me, I've always wanted to be on the cover of Highbrow Monthly!" he laughed, he held up his pinky as he took a sip from his champagne, making Sora laugh.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure about this?" Sarah asked Kalos as they made their way into the hotel. "We don't even know most of these people."<p>

"It's fine." He whispered back, "Layla knows what she's doing, besides, most of these people are sponsors and we don't even really need to talk to them, we just need to accept their congratulations, dance a bit and then we can leave if you'd like."

"All right," Sarah said in her British accent. She tightened her grip on her fiancée's arm when they walked by the ballroom; she felt as though she had a bad case of stage fright. It seems as though Layla invited more business associates than she did actual friends, although the whole staff from the Kaleido Stage was invited along with Sarah's and Kalos's families, though Sarah's did have some trouble making it to the party on such short notice. However her family would definitely be there for the wedding. Everything was moving so fast and it seemed like Sara could do nothing to stop it. She smiled despite her discomfort as they walked to the back entrance of the room.

* * *

><p>The Grande Hotel stood fifteen stories high facing the beautiful blue Pacific Ocean. The large windows in the front gave the rooms a spectacular view and gave the hotel a modern and sophisticated look; it gave the appearance of being made completely of glass. To Leon, it just looked expensive; after seeing the valet at the front the thought of staying in such a fine hotel made Leon's wallet hurt.<p>

He stepped out of his black Aston Martin and walked to the passenger side, opening the door for his guest. Leon had offered to drive Annette to the party; nobody would want to take the bus dressed as she was. She wore a slim fitting black dress that hung full length on her slender frame, only held up by a single strap from which sequins that looked like small diamonds hung. Her hair was pulled up loosely atop her head with curls escaping the pins. She looked like royalty, and as her friend, Leon wouldn't want to put her in danger by making her take the bus; who knows how many people would try to rob her, or worse.

Leon handed his keys to the valet and held out his arm for Annette which she gladly took with a quiet, "_Merci Monsieur._"

The valet was just frozen as he got a good look at Annette. Leon was afraid the valet would faint when Annette winked at him, he suppressed a chuckle.

The ballroom put the outside of the hotel to shame, and that said a lot considering that the outside looked like something Bill Gates would stay in. The ballroom housed a grand staircase that led to a balcony that surrounded the room, from which you could see the outside. The red velvet curtains were pulled back from the picture windows surrounding the balcony, giving a view of the black Pacific Ocean and the full moon reflecting on it. The floor was a marble mosaic of intricate patterns centered around a shining dance floor. There were tables along the walls of the room with red tablecloths edged with gold embroidery to match the curtains, and don't even get me started on the crystal chandelier.

Leon immediately tensed up; he hadn't been in the same room as this many rich people since Layla and Yuri's wedding! Being in a room filled with this kind of crowd made Leon feel like he was constantly being judged. He felt Annette pat his arm and she gave him a reassuring smile, he took a deep breath and walked further into the room.

He could barely hear himself think over the voices, all he heard were bits and pieces of conversations along the lines of "I'm flying out to Paris for the weekend," and "I couldn't believe it when I saw this dress was only ten thousand dollars, I simply _had _to buy it!" He already wanted to leave. A familiar laugh pulled his attention away from all the voices.

He turned to see Sora standing clad in a midnight blue dress that fell to her knees and hugged her body like a lover. The slim straps were studded with silver rhinestones that matched the necklace she wore. Her hair was curled and half of it was pulled back and held with a silver clip, her bangs swept across her forehead and her eyes shone as she laughed at something the man she was talking to said. Leon's chest seemed to tighten when he realized she was speaking to Andrew, I mean sure he seemed nice enough but he seemed almost _too_ friendly with Sora, but that was just his opinion.

At just that moment, Sora turned and met his eyes, seeing him for the first time that night. Her eyes seemed to widen and she turned away quickly his heart nearly leapt into his throat; what an odd feeling it was. It was then that Leon realized he had been staring, not to mention caught.

* * *

><p>Sora suddenly got a sense of dread. Annette and Leon looked so perfect together. Leon's simple black suit and white tie made the other men in the thousand dollar suits look like they wore rags; at least in Sora's eyes. She could feel her cheeks turning red as she turned away from Leon and Annette. Annette looked like a queen; the sight of her arm- in-arm with Leon made Sora's chest hurt.<p>

"What's wrong?" Andrew sounded genuinely concerned, the silliness gone from his voice. Sora met his hazel eyes.

"Nothing." She said trying to mask the hurt she felt, she tried to smile and hoped to God it was convincing. Her stomach twisted and a wave of vertigo hit her.

"Whoa!" Andrew cried when she started to sway. He got a hold of one of her arms and put his other hand around her waist, steadying her. He brought her to sit at one of the tables and called for a waiter to bring a glass of water. Sora sat with her eyes closed and her head in her hands, hoping the pounding would go away. She felt like she was hung over but knew she hadn't had anything to drink. Suddenly the room felt extremely hot.

"Here," Andrew said, handing her the glass of water.

"Thank you." She said with a small smile as she sipped the cool liquid. She could feel it running down her throat. Now she was cold; goose bumps spread over her arms.

"I think you have a fever." Andrew said, putting one hand to her forehead.

"I don't feel so good." Sora said softly, laying her head on the table, willing her stomach to settle down.

"Do you want me to take you home?" Andrew offered, concern evident in his voice.

"But Sarah and Kalos aren't even here yet." She insisted.

"Sora, do you want me to take you home?" he said more firmly.

"But I haven't congratulated them yet." She almost whined.

"You can do it tomorrow." He replied.

"I don't want to make you miss the party." Sora said. "I'll be fine by myself," she started to stand when the vertigo hit again. She felt Andrew grab her arm again, trying to be gentle but strong at the same time.

"Sora, I'm not going to let you go home by yourself like this," he said firmly, "you can barely even stand up straight, how are you going to manage to get back to the dorms, their like 5 miles away."

"But-" Sora began but was cut off.

"A party with a bunch of snobby rich people isn't worth risking something happening to you." He stared at her intensely with his mostly green eyes.

Sora looked away and Andrew took that as consent and began leading her toward the door, one arm around her waist. All Leon saw was her leaving with Andrew and his hand at her waist.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:** Again, sorry for the wait, you know the drill, been busy working, checking out schools, reading books, writer's block, the usual excuses. I love reviews so keep them coming and enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 9

Sora slept surprisingly well that night, though that may have been due to the half bottle of Nyquil she drank when she got home that night. Her limbs felt heavy and she was groggy, on the plus side her stomach seemed to have calmed down, but she wasn't taking any chances and decided to skip breakfast that day. She slowly made her way to the bathroom to brush her teeth and noticed the dark circles under her eyes yet again, and she did look a little pale, at least the crew had a day off, she was sure some could use the recovery time.

Sora put on a light green t-shirt and a pair of gray shorts; she dug her sneakers out of the bottom of her closet and tied her hair back into a ponytail. Having a cold was no excuse to slack off so she decided to go for a run; maybe the exercise would actually help. The weather was beautiful but that was a given considering it was the first week of July in southern California. Though it was still relatively early in the morning the heat was still pretty intense; Sora had barely gone a mile down the beach and she was doubled over trying to catch her breath. Her head was pounding again and she began to question whether or not it was a good idea that she had gone running that morning.

Oh well, she thought, I need to stay in shape, cold or not. And she continued running. She made it about another mile when she saw another runner in the distance. She couldn't quite tell who it was. She brought her eyes back down to the ground and continued running, counting the miles in her head.

"Sora?" She heard someone call in a thick accent. She looked up and realized that the other runner was closer than she thought. The other runner's long platinum hair shone in the sunlight from its ponytail. Annette smiled as she slowed to a stop.

"Hello Annette." Sora said with a tight smile. She looked positively radiant even when jogging and Sora was sure she looked like Hell warmed over.

"We missed you at ze party last night." She said with her French accent, Annette was learning English very quickly but her French still hindered her pronunciation a bit.

"Oh, yeah, I left a little early…" Sora said, suddenly the sand seemed very interesting.

"Why is zat?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowed. She stepped a little bit closer.

"I was feeling a little unwell." Sora brought her gaze back to meet Annette's.

"Are you okay now?" She looked genuinely concerned.

"I'm fine." Sora smiled for real this time. She just couldn't think badly of Annette. "I don't want to keep you from your run, so I guess I'll leave first." Sora said with another small smile and a quick wave.

"Wait." Annette said, causing Sora to pause in her tracks. Sora turned back to Annette, the French girl shifted from one foot to another, she almost seemed unsure of what she wanted to say, "Well, you see… How do I say zis," She muttered to herself.

"Yes?" Sora looked at Annette expectantly as the blonde tried to put together a sentence.

"I was wondering if you might like to join Leon and I for lunch uh, today?" She smiled and stared at Sora, waiting for an answer.

A cold feeling spread through Sora's chest. So they had a date, she should have expected this. The cold feeling slowly changed to a familiar tightness that she seemed to be feeling pretty often lately. Her nose started to sting and her throat began to hurt, a sign that she was near tears, though she couldn't quite understand why. Her vision got a little blurry.

"I'm sorry, I can't," Sora said quickly, not wanting to shed tears in front of Leon's girlfriend. "I have plans," she added hastily.

"Okay," Annette seemed a little disappointed, "Zen we shall have a, how you say, rain check?"

"Yeah, maybe some other time, Seeya," she said as she turned away, the tears beginning to fall and she took off running in the direction of the dorms. The pain in her chest seemed to swell.

* * *

><p><em>Well, there goes that plan<em>, Annette thought as she continued her run down the beach. She could feel her hair brush against the sun warmed skin exposed on her back as she jogged in a sports bra and her shorts. She turned to see Sora running, her purple hair just a spot in the distance now. Annette just sighed and kept going. Sora wasn't going to make this any easier than Leon would.

Little did anyone know exactly how sly Annette really was; how much she liked to scheme. Back in France she was known to be quite a trickster; she even rigged one of Leon's trapeze swings so one cord would disconnect when there was enough pressure and twist. Don't ask her how she did it because she won't tell you, but let's just say Leon got to know what the Hanged Man on the Tarot Card feels like. She loved to play pranks on her friends, to hide in places where she's least expected and scare people, but most of all, she loved to play Cupid.

You see, the truth was, she didn't even have any plans with Leon that day. It was all just a ruse to get Sora to go out, but she was being difficult. What was really supposed to happen was, had Sora said yes, she would have invited Leon out to lunch, only to have something "come up" at the last minute, when it would be too late to leave. Leon would be preparing to leave when Sora would arrive, and Leon, chivalrous as he is (though that isn't quite the word people would use to describe him), would be unwilling to leave a lady alone at the restaurant. They would eat, enjoy each other's company, stare longingly into each other's eyes, and hopefully… But then again, Annette was just a hopeless romantic and her plans rarely failed. Annette grinned; _this is going to be fun._

* * *

><p>Practice over the next week seemed a little tense; Sora and Leon barely spoke except for when necessary. They couldn't meet each other's eyes and Sora, still nauseous, wasn't moving as fluidly as normal. May was nowhere to be found for the most part, but, like on most days, showed up just in time for her scenes.<p>

"Alright! Take five everyone!" Cathy yelled. Sora heaved a sigh of relief and all but flopped against a wall at the far end of the room, hoping nobody would notice her abnormally heavy breathing, the strange paler of her skin, or even the dark bags under her eyes; Leon noticed all of these.

It took everything for him not to stare. Her cheeks were hollow; she was pale and looked like she hadn't slept in a month. She was obviously sick and pushing herself, but he felt as though he could do nothing about it. He felt useless and it left a heavy feeling in his chest.

"_Qu'est-ce que tu penses de ca?_" He was pulled from his thoughts by Annette's question.

"_Pardon?_" he asked blankly, obviously not paying attention. Annette swatted him on the shoulder, clearly not too upset over his ignorance. She laughed and repeated her question.

Sora's head was pounding and her vision was a little blurry, but not so blurry that she couldn't see Annette playfully swat Leon on the shoulder and him laugh at something she said. The pain in her chest only increased and she tightly closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall she was sitting against. Her stomach twisted and she felt like she was going to throw up, even though she hadn't eaten much in the past week apart from vitamins and cold medicine, though it wasn't helping much.

She felt something cool and wet press against her forehead, she peaked through one slitted eye and saw Andrew standing with an easy smile on his face and a water bottle in each hand, one of which she assumed was just pressed against her forehead. He handed a bottle to her.

"Thanks." She managed a weak smile.

"Rough night?" he asked, taking a seat at her side.

"Rough week actually," Sora said casually, she sighed, taking a sip of water.

"You still not feeling good?" Andrew sounded concerned.

"I'm fine." She wasn't very convincing.

"Have you gone to the hospital?"

"No." Sora admitted, and she was putting it off for as long as possible, she didn't really like hospitals. "I'm fine, I just need some sleep and vitamins and I'll be fine." She said firmly, she was suddenly annoyed that so many people have been asking her if she was okay lately.

"Alright," Andrew's hands were up in mock surrender. "We're all adults here, we can be civil about this and you are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself."

"Damn right." She said flatly, making Andrew laugh. Leon had chosen that point in time to turn around.

* * *

><p>He couldn't quite say why exactly, but he was suddenly in a very bad mood, his body went rigid and he felt the strange urge to march right over there and- What? What did he want to do? He didn't really know himself, and that frustrated him to no end. He was so confused and if there was anything Leon Oswald hated more than uselessness, it was being confused; it made him feel helpless, like the whole world was against him. Leon was deep in thought when Kalos showed up with Rosetta in tow.<p>

"Hey how's everybody doing today?" Kalos asked.

"Fine," May answered from where she sat with Anna and Mia.

"I have an announcement to make." Kalos said.

"As if he'd come here for any other reason," May muttered under her breath. Anna tried to stifle a laugh.

"Rosetta will be guest starring in our production of the Phantom of the Opera for a while so everybody please take care of her, even though this isn't the first time she's worked with us." Kalos paused and looked around. "Understood?"

"Yes." The staff said in unison.

"She will be training with May for the part of Carlotta." He looked directly at May this time, looking for signs of disapproval. She just waved her hand dismissively at him, not bothered at all by the fact that she was training her own replacement, but hey, she'd been wanting to take a vacation anyways and it's not like she was being fired.

"You've all done a great job today, now go home and rest up for tomorrow's show." And so rehearsal was finished.

* * *

><p>May walked up to Rosetta and looped her arm through hers; Rosetta now stood about three inches taller than May.<p>

"Let's go, Stretch, we need to get you fitted for a costume." She said as the mad their way to the costume department.

Leon turned to see Sora still with _him_ and he felt his face grow hot. There was a very particular feeling in his chest; it wasn't really to the point of being called pain, but more of a dull ache. Sora smiled and the feeling seemed to vanish, until he realized the smile wasn't for him.

* * *

><p>"How about this place?" Layla asked, showing Sarah yet another ballroom as they tried to finish planning the wedding which was now only a week away. They sat in one of the many drawing rooms in Layla's mansion. They had already chosen the bridesmaids' dresses which were already ordered. The bridesmaids were going to be Sora, May and Layla; Sarah had decided she didn't want a large bridal party, their ushers would be Yuri, Ken and, of all people, Leon; nobody knew exactly how they had convinced him to agree, but then again Layla had her ways.<p>

"Too dim." Sarah said simply, the room was large and of course very nice, but it seemed too somber to host a wedding ceremony and reception. They had all agreed that having the ceremony and reception in the same place would be easier than having all the guests travel from one end of town to the other. Not only did the room look like all the lights burn out, it also looked extremely expensive, just like the first 14 ballrooms they looked at.

To book a ballroom on such short notice and hire a last minute decorator would cost a fortune on its own, not to mention catering costs, the band, the dresses, tuxedo rentals, and of course the honeymoon. Sarah was at her wits end, Layla just didn't understand.

"Okay, this one then." Layla showed her a ballroom that could have swallowed her whole house. A giant crystal chandelier hung from the three story tall ceiling. The marble floor was waxed to perfection, even the chandelier was reflected in it like a mirror. Most of the walls of the room were made of glass, letting the outside light filter through, sending prisms of light through the chandelier and casting shadows on the tables surrounding the dance floor. A balcony surrounded the room about one floor up opening into a grand staircase at the center of the room. It reminded her of the hotel where the engagement party was held. She couldn't even imagine how many zeros would be in the check they'd need to write to rent the room.

"I don't know Layla," Sarah wasn't quite sure how to say it. She didn't really know if Layla would understand, being an heiress and all.

"What's wrong with it? I think this one is the best of them all." Layla said, Sarah's concerned tone flying way over her head. "You like it right?"

"It is nice." Sarah had to admit.

"Then I'll book it." Layla said pulling out her cellphone. She began dialing the hotel's number with one perfectly manicured hand.

"Wait, Layla you don't understand." Sarah tried to interject.

"It's fine." Layla waved her off. "Yes I'd like to speak to the manager for the Crystal Ballroom." She said into the phone.

"Layla, I-" Sarah tried again but to no avail, she just couldn't get through. The frustration was building up, that coupled with the speed at which things were progressing, well, we all know that a person can only take so much.

"Yes, I'd like to book the ballroom for-" Layla continued.

"Enough!" Sarah shouted. Layla couldn't mask the look of surprise that was now on her face.

"I'll call back." Layla said, hanging up. The shock was still evident on her face as she slid her phone back into her pocket. After the outburst, all she could do was stare at Sarah.

Sarah, after the outburst, realized she'd just shouted and took a deep breath, attempting to compose herself. She took another deep breath through her nose. "I'm sorry, but this is just too much."

"What do you me-"

"Please," Sarah held up a hand, cutting Layla off, "Just let me finish."

Layla remained silent.

"It's all happening so fast, and I know I made the right choice in asking you to help me plan this, but you're taking things too far. I don't want this to be like some business conference where every sponsor or partner or ally or whatever you want to call them can just get together and talk about the future of the stage. I want this to be a special day celebrated with our families and friends. I don't want it to be some grand spectacle that all the tabloids will be talking about for the next month, I want this to be an intimate affair to be celebrated, not a way to gain status. And these ballrooms," Sarah waved her hand over the pictures they've looked at, "These are too much, and extremely expensive, Layla I'm sorry to say but I can't afford all of this and I need to put my foot down."

They just sat in silence for a moment, letting the information sink in. After a few minutes, Sarah was the first to break the silence. "I'm sorry, Layla, I didn't mean to snap like that, but it's all just too much."

"No, its fine, I should have listened to you more. I just wanted you to have a fairy tale wedding, like I had. I'm sorry." She looked away, feeling a little ashamed. "I just thought that…" she trailed off.

"I know your wedding was wonderful Layla, and that you had fun planning it, but why don't we work together in planning mine, I asked you because I knew you were the best, but why don't we tone it down a bit." Sarah said softly, taking Layla's hand in hers. Layla smiled softly and nodded.

"I just thought that you would have wanted…"

"A wedding like yours?" Sarah finished. "Yours was wonderful, but I want mine to be my own, to be special in its own way." Sarah added. "I actually have an idea for the place that would truly make it special." She whispered in Layla's ear. Her eyes lit up instantly with that gleam that showed there was no stopping her now.

"Alright, I'll get to work on that right away." She said as she dialed.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:** again sorry for the wait everyone and i'm really sorry if you felt the previous chapter may have been just a filler, i was trying to make it so this chapter didn't come out too long, but it still came out a little lengthy, please review, i love hearing what you guys think!

Chapter 10

Amazing weather was something to be expected when living in southern California, today was no different. The sun was reflecting off the calm waters of the Pacific Ocean and the birds seemed to be serenading life itself. All in all it was what appeared to be a perfect day.

It was hard to breathe. But that was to be expected on one's wedding day. Sarah couldn't help but stare as she was being laced into her wedding gown. The white of the satin was stark against her slightly tanned skin. She drew a breath as Layla tightened the corset of her dress

"Sorry." Layla said with a smile.

"Is it normal to not be able to breathe?" Sarah asked with a gasp-like laugh as she struggled to draw air into her lungs.

"Beauty is pain." Layla replied as she pulled on the strings yet again, this time nearly pulling Sarah off balance; she had to grab the sides of the vanity table just to stay on her feet. She tried to ignore the feeling of confinement and looked into her reflection. Her hair had been pulled back and held in place by multiple clips, her bangs still hung side-swept along with wisps of golden hair. There was a single white orchid pinned into her hair in place of a veil. Layla had done her makeup before she they put on the dress and she did a fantastic job.

"Done." Layla said, clapping her hands together and feeling like it was a job well done. Sarah looked at herself in the full length mirror and nearly gasped. She looked amazing.

The pure white of the dress complimented the slight tan she had acquired in the early summer. The corset hugged her body in a way that gave her an hourglass figure, hugging her slim waist and gently flowing to her feet. The hem of the gown itself had azaleas embroidered in gently shimmering beads as well as the bodice of the dress; the flower in her hair complimented the dress as such. She never imagined how perfect the dress would be, not even at her last fitting. She couldn't wait for Kalos to see her as she made her way to become Mrs. Eido.

Tears began to form in her eyes as she suddenly realized that after years of being together, she and Kalos were finally going to be married.

"Don't cry!" Layla yelled. "You'll ruin your make up!" She laughed and pulled Layla into a hug. Layla's hair had been curled and pulled into an elegant up do. Her dress was a light shade of teal with a gentle strapless sweat heart neckline. There was a flower at the waist on one side with gentle folds of soft fabric falling from it. The hem fell just below her knees and one side was slightly longer than the other and there was a bit of a lacey material peeking out from under the skirt. The dress was coupled with a silver pair of strappy sandals. She looked great and was beaming at the thought of a long-time friend finally tying the knot.

"I can't help it!" The British bride laughed as she tried to wipe the tears without smudging her make up.

"Come on," Layla said, handing Sarah her bouquet. "Let's get you hitched."

* * *

><p>Her mouth was dry, but that's what happens when you sit there munching on saltine crackers all morning. Sora's stomach had calmed down a bit over the past two days so she took the opportunity to put something in it while she could; she had barely eaten over the past week as the nausea was that bad. What kind of the flu did she have? She'd never heard of the flu lasting nearly three weeks. She was eating dry crackers in hopes that it wouldn't upset her stomach, besides; it wouldn't stain her bridesmaids dress.<p>

Sora sat in one of the man parlors on the Hamilton estate as the girls waited for Sarah to be ready. May had gone to the restroom to touch up her makeup and Sora was watching Stella and Alexander. Alexander was sitting on the floor in his miniature tux while Stella spun around in the center of the room, watching her dress twirl out around her. Her dress was a lovely shade of ivory with a teal ribbon the same shade as Sora's dress tied around the waist. There was a teal flower attached to the ribbon and the dress fell in ruffles to her little feet. Her blonde hair was pulled up halfway and the rest fell in soft curls to the middle of her back, she had ivory pins holding her hair in place. Her sparkling blue eyes just lit up as she twirled.

Sora almost jumped out of her seat when Stella began to tip.

"Woah!" She cried out as she caught Stella, who just giggled like there was no tomorrow. "You need to be careful, you don't want to get a boo boo."

"Okay, Auntie Sora." She smiled and sat down next to her little brother who beamed at her as he handed her a car. The young boy wore a black tuxedo with an ivory shirt and teal vest and tie, there was a small embroidered pattern on the vest and tie, just enough to give it a little dimension. The aqua made the two-year-old's eyes just pop, his blonde hair was a little disheveled but there wasn't really much that could be done about it. There were traces of gel in his blond curls to show that someone had at least attempted to style it but later realized that his hair was naturally curly and naturally wanted to stay curly.

Sora sat up and stretched, feeling her back pop in a few places. She looked at herself in the mirror over the fireplace. She wore the same dress as Layla but something didn't feel quite right. Don't get me wrong, she looked great, but the dress didn't seem to fit as well as it did at the fitting, she brushed aside the thought and turned as she heard footsteps coming down the hall.

"Damn." May said as she walked back into the room.

Sora shot her a glare, "There are children in the room!" She scolded, earning a giggle from Stella and Alexander.

"Sorry," May blushed a little in shame, "It's just that I get lost just about every freaking time I come here!"

"Something wrong with my house?" Layla asked, nobody had heard her come in. She had a smug look on her face as she leaned against the doorframe.

"Yeah, it's too damn big," May said simply; Sora glared at her yet again. "You should look into getting those maps like they have at the mall, you know, the ones that say 'You are here' and all that."

"I don't get lost." Stella called from where she was playing with her brother, who had now gotten up and ran to his mother.

"How's my little man?" She said sweetly as she picked him up and placed him on her hip.

"Good!" The two year old said as he kissed his mommy on the cheek.

"She's ready." Layla had turned her attention back to her fellow bridesmaids. "Let's go."

* * *

><p><em>How did I get pulled into this?<em> Leon groaned as he drove. He was fine with weddings, hell, he liked them as much as the next guy but only if he was attending, not part of the court; he wasn't one to be a chronic usher. He hadn't been in a wedding since he was the ring bearer at his Tante Marie's wedding when he was just a child, and that wedding ended in disaster; let's just say there was more cake in people's hair than in their stomachs, there was enough drinking to empty a giant's wine cellar, and no matter how much bleach they used, there was just no way that stain was coming out. Supposedly everybody had a great time nonetheless, but Leon was scarred for life.

That being said, his mood was anything but bright. The sun was started to get closer to the horizon, meaning the wedding was due to start shortly. He looked at the time.

"Damn." He muttered under his breath, he'd be there on time just by the skin of his teeth, assuming he doesn't get pulled over.

* * *

><p>"Okay, chairs are set," Layla muttered as she did a last minute walkthrough, "Arch is decorated," she looked down, "Carpet, set, no wrinkles," she looked sideways, "Bows on the chairs, check," she turned at did a once around, "All set." She said, satisfied. The sun was sitting low on the horizon and the sky had just started to turn a beautiful shade of coral. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and there was a soft breeze playing through; a perfect day for an outdoor wedding.<p>

Layla had personally oversaw the preparations that day, she commissioned the arch to be built, met with the florist herself, even helped tie the bows for the chairs. The arch itself was made of an ivory colored wood that twisted and braided around itself, there were pieces of teal lace and white azaleas woven into the wood; the breeze gently tugged at the silk.

The white chairs matched the arch and were set in rows facing the archway which was set in just the right place to capture the sunset. There were teal and ivory bows at the back of every chair. At the center of the rows of chairs, leading up to the archway was a teal carpet, set to cover the sand so the bride and her party would not trip or sink with their heels. The beach's white nearly white sand complimented the decorations. Layla just hoped that the breeze didn't disturb the white flower petals that were laid over the carpet much more than necessary. _A beach wedding! How romantic!_ Was the reaction when Layla had told the others about the plans, she had to admit that this would be special.

The florist had done a great job, clearly earning the nice tip Layla had added to the bill. Though she was young she had certainly impressed, she even threw in a few extra corsages for the gents which Layla carried and needed to distribute. They had been kept in a cool place so as not to wither.

"You did great." Layla heard a voice come from behind. She saw Kalos Eido, the groom walking up to take his place at the archway as guests started to arrive. He wore a tuxedo much like her son's but in full size. The suit itself was black with an ivory shirt and teal tie and vest. Kalos had forsaken his usual sunglasses and even styled his hair so it wasn't spiked just for that day. He smiled widely, his white teeth contrasted his mocha skin, he was clearly pleased.

"Thanks, it was worth it to see you guys finally starting a new life together." Layla smiled sweetly. "Come here." She gestured for him to come closer. She carefully unwrapped one of the corsages and pinned it to the lapel of his jacket. "Perfect." She said quietly. "It's almost time to start; I'll send Yuri over in a minute."

"Okay," Kalos laughed to himself, "I hope I can count on you to make sure Sarah doesn't leave me hanging."

"Of course!" She laughed as she made her way to round up the troops.

* * *

><p>It was less than 5 minutes before the wedding was scheduled to start and Leon was nowhere to be found. Sora felt a familiar tightness in her chest as she gently unwrapped the bloom that Layla had given her to hold. Layla was busy pinning corsages to Yuri and Alexander and making sure that Alexander remembered not to drop the pillow carrying the rings, and that he doesn't walk to fast. She was also making sure that Stella knew to drop some more flower petals every few steps and to watch her brother. Yuri had made his way to stand beside Kalos as the best man.<p>

May had her arm linked through Ken's as they stood, waiting to start marching. She looked beautiful with her hair pulled into an elegant bun with a small silver clasp on one side; Ken could hardly keep his eyes off her. He also looked rather dashing in his tux with his ginger-blond hair slicked back and his blue eyes sparkling. May looked so happy, Sora couldn't help but smile. Her smile faded a bit when she remembered that she was still standing alone.

She turned away from the ocean back toward the city in time to see a familiar black sports car pull into a nearby parking lot. Her heart leapt when she saw a real life Adonis step out and begin jogging in her direction. Leon's silver-white hair flowed behind him as he ran to her. Sora had seen him in a tux before but it still hit her like a tidal wave.

Her eyes couldn't leave him, she kind of knew how Ken felt when he looked at May; he was like a magnet. He drew closer and closer and Sora knew he'd probably noticed her staring, but that could probably be attributed to the fact that he was late.

"I apologize." He said breathily as he came to a stop at her side. "There was more traffic than I thought."

"At least we didn't march yet." Ken said lightly as Layla pointed a death glare at Leon who either didn't notice or chose to ignore her.

Sora stepped up close to him. "Hold still." She said as she pulled out the corsage. "I don't want to stick you." She was close enough to feel his breath on her cheek. She could smell his spice and lavender scent as the blood rushed to her cheeks. She turned away as soon as she was finished, hoping he didn't notice the pink pallor to her cheeks. Sarah finally made her appearance and stepped in behind them.

"Wow." May sighed. "You look amazing!"

"If only I felt amazing." Sarah said lightly, Sora looked at her, if only to keep her eyes off Leon, whose arm she was now linked to.

"It's just pre-wedding jitters." Layla smiled. "You'll me fine."

"As long as I don't trip on the way to the alter," Sarah muttered, Sora stifled a laugh, it didn't work. Sarah joined in; seemingly it had a calming effect on her frazzled nerves. As they grew quiet, the wedding march began. Sora held up her small bouquet of azaleas and prayed she wouldn't get sick or fall; hopefully Leon would catch her.

* * *

><p>The music was pulsing and the lights were flashing; it was almost as if the stage had been turned into a dance club. It was a brilliant idea to hold the reception there. The sound system was better than anything any DJ could bring in, the lights were already there and set, and there was a dance floor big enough to host a concert with standing room only. It seemed like everybody was having a great time. The ceremony went off without a hitch, the sunset as the backdrop led to a truly romantic and memorable moment as they said "I do," and pledged themselves to each other "as long as they both shall live."<p>

The dancing had been going on for almost an hour. Everyone seemed to be having a great time, there was laughing, joking, and of course dancing. The way some were dancing it would be no surprise if half the sweat on the dancers wasn't even their own. All in all, it was a blast, even Leon was dancing, though it did take some coercing from certain people, mainly Annette, which caused a slight ache in Sora's chest. She nearly stopped dancing.

"What's wrong?" Andrew asked from near her. He had pulled her out onto the dance floor himself. He wore a simple black tux with a black shirt and white tie, his sandy blonde hair was slightly mussed but the gel in his hair showed that it was intentional. His hazel eyes shone, a sign that he was having a great time, thought there was a hint of concern.

"Nothing!" She smiled and continued to dance, then the music started to fade. She turned back to Leon as he danced with Annette. She wore a short silver cocktail dress with crossing straps and her signature stilettos, her hair was held in place by a couple of shiny chopsticks. Andrew took note of this.

"Good evening everybody!" Kalos's voice rose over the noise of the crowd. "Thank you for coming to share this special day with Sarah and I, I hope you're all having a great time!" He called as crowd agreed. Then the DJ took over.

"Alright! All the single ladies to the dance floor! It's time for the lovely bride to toss the bouquet!" At this, Sora was quickly swept onto the dance floor along with a wave of unmarried women.

"Sora!" A familiar voice called as a hand fell on her shoulder. She turned to see a platinum bombshell in a short silver dress and four-inch stilettos.

"Annette!" Sora said, the ache was back again.

"Oh, I hope to catch ze flowers!" She jumped excitedly, she seemed like a little kid suddenly and it elicited a giggle from Sora.

"Good luck!" Sora laughed, "These women are like a pack of rabid wolves!" Annette also laughed at this. That's when the screaming started; the bouquet was in the air and up for grabs. Sora quickly backed away, trying to get away from the disaster zone, pulling Annette with her in a fit of giggles. In the end, Rosetta got the bouquet and Andrew caught the garter, they danced and Sora couldn't help but notice how close her cheeks were to the color of her red hair.

The dollar dance was entertaining as well. As it turns out, Sarah had 3 older brothers: Percy (the oldest), a tall and thin brunette with green eyes, Robbie (the middle), a playful dirty blonde with a muscular build and brown eyes to match Sarah's, and George (the younger-older brother), a slightly shorter red head with hazel eyes. They all seemed to be in competition with each other to see who could be the last to dance with her and get a prize, like when George tried to cut in as Percy was dancing and Percy just kept pulling her out of his reach and twirling around the floor, laughing the entire time.

The best part of the games by far though, was the box. There was a crate placed upside down in the center of the floor, the point of this game was that family members who were older than the bride but still unmarried had to dance on top of the crate to earn money for the happy couple. Two of Sarah's brothers had to dance and so did a few of Sarah's cousins. There was one dancer that took the crowd completely by surprise.

Sora could hear people asking how he was related to Sarah as he stepped up onto the crate, but that effect wore off rather quickly as soon as he started to move. The first thing he did was unbutton his jacket, a seemingly innocent gesture; he tossed it aside and started to dance. The next move had all the ladies screaming and laughing, next came the tie, which was slowly loosened and discarded. When he reached for the top button of his shirt Sora had finally grasped what was happening. Andrew was stripping on the crate!

The funniest part was that he was neither older than nor related to Sarah! He was just having a grand ol' time being himself, and as himself he was quite the showman. "WHOOO!" Sora called over the audience, earning a wink from Andrew who was now down to just his pants.

He raised the most money out of all of the family, even got a few invitations to dance from some of the single women in the crowd. A slow song began to play, the gentle cords flowing through the air like a soft breeze.

"I love this song." Sora said to herself.

* * *

><p>"I love this song." He heard her say as he approached. He recognized the melody, it happened to be a song he was rather fond of himself. He smiled slightly; he'd wanted to do this all night.<p>

"Would you care to dance?" Leon asked softly.

Sora jumped, she hadn't been expecting him. She turned quickly and Leon's breath caught in his throat. He'd been near her earlier but didn't really get the chance to have a good look at her. Sora looked radiant in the teal dress, her purple hair was beginning to fall loose from the clips, and her cheeks were flushed from the dancing and heat of the room.

"Sure." She said with a smile. He offered his arm and led her to the center of the floor. He placed one hand at her waist and took one of hers in the other. She placed her remaining hand at his shoulder. They were nearly chest to chest; Sora began to feel a little self-conscious. They swayed in a comfortable silence for a few moments as Leon just stared at Sora who carefully looked to one side so she wouldn't get lost in his stormy violet-gray eyes. She saw Andrew twirl nearby with Annette in his arms; he saw who she was with and winked; Sora's cheeks darkened about three shades.

Leon couldn't take his eyes away from Sora, he could feel the heat from her body through his shirt, he had abandoned the coat over an hour ago. For some reason this just felt right. Now was his chance.

After a few more moments elapsed, Leon broke the silence. "Give it back." He whispered softly.

Sora turned her face up and met his eyes; she furrowed her brows in confusion. "Give what back?" She asked almost inaudibly.

"My breath." He whispered in her ear. His eyes glinted in a way that made her heart flutter; his eyes were a stormy violet, his gaze was so intense that she couldn't look away. She didn't remember ever being looked at like that before (at least not that she'd ever noticed) for some reason, she could feel her face heating up as her cheeks turned 5 different shades of pink.

She nearly stopped breathing. This was bliss; she could imagine no place where she'd rather be at that moment, or any moment for that matter. Her heart was hammering in her chest and she was sure Leon could feel it, or at least hear it in his close proximity. She needed to break the silence before it broke her.

"I'm surprised you're not dancing with Annette." She said, just trying to break the silence.

"Why is that?" He asked, stepping back slightly so he could see her face.

"Well, you seem to be spending an awful lot of time with her lately." Damn, she sounded insecure, but why? It's not like they were dating.

"She has been my friend since we were children; we have not seen each other in years." Leon sounded slightly defensive.

"Going for walks, lunch dates, always leaving together after practice, parties…" she trailed off, suddenly she started to get a hot feeling inside her chest. "I hardly see you except for practice." Now she sounded jealous.

"Why does it matter?" He asked. "You have often been together with the American lately." Now he sounded jealous, though Sora only heard the tenseness and slight rise in volume. She knew he was talking about Andrew. "Besides, the walk was your idea." He meant the first day.

"Don't turn this around on me." She sounded angry now. She stepped a little farther back from Leon, suddenly the bliss was gone and she was genuinely frustrated. "Andrew has just been helping me out lately."

"He has been driving you home." Leon stated the fact.

"And you have been driving Annette." She said, trying to redirect the conversation away from herself, her anger and jealousy (though she wouldn't admit it) trying to get the better of her.

"I saw you leave the engagement party with him, you two looked rather close…" He unwittingly let some venom leak into his words.

"He was taking me home!" Sora's voice had risen; she had attracted the attention of some dancing close to them. "I wasn't feeling good, and he was just-" she stopped abruptly and looked at him, frustration clear in her features. "You know what," she said, "I don't have to explain myself to you!" She nearly shouted as she pulled her hand from his and turned away, storming off the dance floor leaving an obviously shocked Leon behind.

Why had she just blown up at him like that? He had done nothing to make her mad, Sora was now thoroughly confused. Suddenly a wave of vertigo hit, along with it came nausea worse than she'd felt yet.

"Oh no." She said to herself as she staggered to the nearest restroom. Her stomach heaved and she nearly didn't make it to the toilet as she emptied the contents of her nearly empty stomach. Her skin felt clammy and there were tears in her eyes. She felt her stomach twist again and heaved again, though there was nothing to come out.

* * *

><p>"Sora?" She heard a friendly voice call a few minutes later. She coughed again and this time the tears began to flow.<p>

"Sora are you okay?" May asked as she opened the door to the stall. She must have looked like Hell because a look of sympathy crossed May's face.

"I'm fine." Sora said as her stomach twisted painfully again, eliciting a whimper.

"You're not fine." She stated. "How much have you had to drink?"

"Nothing." Sora said honestly, she had even passed on the champagne during the toast.

"Come on." May said, helping Sora to her feet. She put an arm around her waist and began leading her to the sink. "Rinse out your mouth, I'm taking you home." And this time, Sora didn't argue.

* * *

><p>Practice two days later was tense. Sora and Leon wouldn't look at each other directly and barely spoke a word when it wasn't completely necessary. She seemed to avoid him like the plague. Sora had no idea what had come over her the night before. She had sounded like a jealous girlfriend, though she knew she wasn't. Annette was his girlfriend, and he deserved it, playing with her feelings like that.<p>

They were in the middle of the routine when Sora started to feel dizzy again. She was seeing two or three of everything and completely missed Leon's hand by a mile. She almost bit her tongue trying not to scream as she fell. Thank God they used safety nets during rehearsals.

"Are you alright?" Cathy yelled from her spot in the director's chair. She had actually gotten up and ran over to Sora who was now trying to climb out of the net.

"I'm fine." Sora was annoyed; everybody kept asking 'Are you okay?' 'Are you okay?' She was fine! Why couldn't they just leave her alone? She stood up on solid ground and tried not to sway too much, willing her vision to go back to normal. She could hear Leon coming up behind her.

"Are you okay?" He asked, obviously concerned, reaching to touch her arm.

"I'm fine!" She snapped, swatting away his hand. Now people were staring, irritating her more. Leon was left in shock again.

"Hey everyone!" May yelled as she entered pushing a covered cart. "I brought lunch!" She pulled the cloth away to reveal all sorts of delicious looking food. May was an excellent good and she specialized in Chinese since it was in her blood. Everyone gathered around and Sora was swept along. She loved Chinese food and normally would beg May to cook for her, but something wasn't quite right. Was it the smell? It smelled off.

When Sora got closer and smelled the food again her stomach twisted violently. She was going to be sick. She started shoving people out of the way with one hand over her mouth. She made to the trashcan and promptly threw up into it. She wiped her mouth and slowly straightened up. All eyes were on her.

"You're clearly not fine." Cathy said firmly as she walked up to her. She placed a hand on her forehead. "You have a fever, your all clammy, your pale and throwing up. Sora you need to go see a doctor, I've noticed you've been acting strangely for almost a month now."

"But rehearsals." Sora began but was silenced by Cathy.

"May can take your spot for now, I'm not taking no for an answer," she said sharply. Using her voice of authority she said "Now you march to your dressing room, get dressed, and go see the doctor."

"But-"

"We'll be fine." Rosetta said. "Your health is important too."

"Yeah, I'll cover for you." May said, "Now get out of here before we catch whatever you've got." And Cathy pushed her out.

* * *

><p>The exam room was cool which felt good considering Sora was now having a hot flash from Hell. She had been waiting for about 15 minutes since all the preliminary things were done, like her height and weight and that stupid peeing in a cup thing that always seemed to happen when you didn't have to go. She also had to have her throat swabbed.<p>

She sat on the exam bed, the sterile paper crinkling every time she so much as breathed. She occupied her time by reading a poster on the wall highlighting the advantages of getting your flu shot.

"Hey Sora." Doctor Kate said as she walked in.

"Hello, Dr. Kate." Sora replied meekly.

"So how are we today?" Dr. Kate asked. "I'm told you're a little under the weather."

"I guess." Sora replied, her stomach was roiling.

"What's wrong?" Dr. Kate pulled out a clipboard.

"Well, I've been stiff lately," Sora began, "I haven't been sleeping well, I can't eat, I've been throwing up the past few days, I have a fever, which probably explains the hot flashes and sudden goose bumps, and I've been getting dizzy a lot lately."

"You might have the flu…" Dr. Kate looked down at her notes. She looked back at Sora. "How long has this been going on?"

"About three weeks." Sora said, trying to remember when it started. Dr. Kate's expression changed.

"Sora," she began, almost as if she wasn't sure how to ask. "Do you think you might be…" She trailed off.

"What?" Sora had no idea what she was trying to get at.

"Never mind," Dr. Kate said, "I'm going to check on your lab results, I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Okay." Sora said, still a little confused as Dr. Kate left the room.

The next few minutes seemed like hours, but that happens when you're stuck waiting with nothing to do but look at medical posters and little diagrams of joints that you can't really identify and probably couldn't even pronounce. There was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Sora said. Dr. Kate stepped back in, a wide smile on her face. "What's up Doc?" Sora said.

"Nothing bad actually." Dr. Kate said, Sora assumed that that meant she just had some kind of passing bug or something.

"So what's the verdict?" She asked, wondering why the Doctor was smiling so much.

"I want to be the first person to congratulate you." She beamed.

"For what?" Sora was confused yet again; she hadn't won any competitions lately or anything of the sort. Maybe the doctor had seen the new show. Nothing could have prepared her for the words that came out of Dr. Kate's mouth.

"You're pregnant!"

This is how I imagine Alexander to look:

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Link to the bridesmaids' dress (in teal):

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Link for Flower girl dress (teal ribbon):

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	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note:** I'm so sorry for the wait, things have been super hectic but i tried, i know i feel like i'm always making excuses and i thank you guys so much for your patience, you guys are great, i hope this new chapter is enough to be forgiven!

Chapter 11

"What?" A cold feeling started to grow in Sora's chest. She could hear only her heart pounding as the blood rushed to her head. She hoped she'd misheard.

"I said you're pregnant!" She said with a smile. "Congratulations!" She put her arms around Sora in a tight embrace, not as a doctor, but as a friend. The contact should have warmed her, but all Sora felt was the ice spreading through her veins. Dr. Kate pulled away and kept her hands on Sora's shoulders, her smile faded when she saw the look on Sora's face. Now you'd think she would at least look shocked after hearing such news, but her face was completely blank, Sora wouldn't meet her eyes; they were fixated on but not really seeing a spot on the wall.

The cold feeling spread to Sora's limbs. "I can't be…" she whispered in disbelief, her mind was blank. "I never even-" Her voice cracked, her throat suddenly dry. She stopped. She thought back a little and her thoughts suddenly stopped at about a month and a half earlier. The party. She drank and the rest was a blur until the next morning when she woke up… naked in Leon's bed.

Her stomach twisted violently. "Trashcan." Sora whispered.

"Excuse me?"

"Where's the trashcan?" Sora's voice came a little stronger and she suddenly pitched forward, finding the trashcan and spilling the contents of her nearly empty stomach, violating the plastic bin. Dr. Kate was rubbing her back sympathetically and holding back her purple hair. She stood up and walked to the door, calling out for some water. When it came she brought the cup to Sora who quickly used it to rinse her mouth.

"The morning sickness should go away in about two months, I know that sounds bad, but it'll go by in a flash." She tried to sound sympathetic.

Morning sickness? That's what was happening?

Of course she had noticed that her period was late but she had thought that it was just stress, I mean it wasn't all that uncommon for stress to cause something like that. She had also attested her nausea to the stress of staging a new show and being a part of a wedding party, among other things she didn't really want to bring herself to think. She never would have thought that she was pregnant! She thought she might have just caught some kind of bug that was going around. She never would have guessed this when she made the appointment the day before.

Sora's heart nearly stopped. This whole time she thought she had the flu; she had been taking cold medicine and pain medicine. Suddenly she was scared, no, terrified, what if her carelessness and ignorance hurt the baby she was now carrying. It would be all her fault. Tears started to flow down her face; she panicked. She gripped Dr. Kate's hand so hard that she winced.

"I took medicine!" Sora cried. "I didn't know! What if it hurts it?!" She was nearly hysterical. Her eyes became watery as she searched Dr. Kate's face some kind of sign.

Dr. Kate gently stroked her hand. "It will be fine." She said softly. "It's not all that uncommon for a woman to mistake pregnancy for something like the flu. We'll just need to keep an eye on the baby's health over the next few months, okay?" She gently smiled and stroked Sora's back. It wasn't uncommon for women to be shocked when they first find out they are pregnant. She looked at her watch.

"Listen, Sora, I have another appointment, but here's my number" she quickly wrote it down on a sticky note, "you can call me anytime, whether you have a question or just need to talk to someone, mood swings are normal and you need to make sure you rest, you are obviously very tired and you absolutely need to make sure you eat, even though you feel sick you need to keep your help up. I'll make you an appointment with our maternity ward so you can get a checkup and prescription for pre-natal vitamins. Do you have any questions you want me to answer?"

After the hysteria wore off Sora felt hollow, her mind was completely blank; she wouldn't even be able to tell you her name if it was asked.

"Sora?"

"What?" she squeaked.

"Are you okay?" Dr. Kate sounded concerned. Sora just stared at her blankly, she was in shock. "I'll have Jerry give you a ride home; I don't think you should go by yourself." Jerry was the first person Sora met when she'd first come to America five years ago when she had helped him catch a purse thief. He was a police officer and also happened to be married to Dr. Kate. "Okay?"

Sora just blankly nodded. She no longer knew what to think. She was pale and looked like she was going to be sick again. Kate placed the wastebasket near her in case she was sick again as she went to call Jerry. Sora was left alone in the room again. Alone with only the child she was now carrying.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Dr. Kate asked as she escorted out to the reception area. Jerry was standing near the doors in his uniform, he had been on patrol when Kate had called, he smiled at the sight of them.

"I'm fine." Sora said softly, not meeting Kate's eyes. The cold feeling was still present in her veins; she had her arms wrapped around herself as if she was trying to keep warm. Dr. Kate rubbed her back sympathetically.

"Alright. I'll see you soon, okay?" She said sweetly.

Sora just absently nodded and walked toward the door. Jerry looked at her a little strangely, but you had to admit she did look pale and a little under the weather.

"Jerry, just make sure she gets home okay?" Kate gave him a knowing look.

"Alright." He said as he put an arm on Sora's shoulder, leading her away.

Sora stopped before the door. She had one coherent thought in her mind at the time. She turned back to Dr. Kate. "Please don't tell anyone." She pleaded softly. Dr. Kate just nodded; she had to respect a patient's wishes.

"Alright." She smiled and waved goodbye as Sora and her husband left.

* * *

><p>Leon stood back stage as the lights were being tested. They did this regularly before the start of a show, making sure everything was in working order was a majorly essential key to a successful show. If something were to go wrong it could have potentially catastrophic consequences. He remembered once when he was still performing in France, one light suddenly burnt out in the middle of a performance, causing the stage to be drenched in darkness and his partner to miss her swing, it took months before she could even walk again.<p>

The show was scheduled to start in a half an hour, things should have been going as planned, but the whole crew was in chaos. Now one may think that this may be cause by a sudden tear in a costume, or a pulled muscle, or even just a missing shoe, but this time it was different. It wasn't a shoe that was missing, but a person, more specifically, the star.

Sora hadn't shown up yet. She was normally one of the first one's at the set when there was a show, or even just a practice. Leon's heart thudded against his ribs and his breath had grown slightly more shallow, not that you'd be able to tell thanks to his nearly permanent poker face. _Where is she?_ He thought to himself. He couldn't even recall her ever missing a rehearsal, nevertheless being late for a performance, hell she'd even gone when she was violently sick; he thought back to the previous day. He couldn't help but be worried; he was her partner after all. But there seemed to be something else nagging at him. She seemed to be avoiding him, and he didn't know why. With his mind running a mile a minute, he began to pace.

"Where is she?!" May screamed down in the nearly empty hall. Her sudden outburst shocked some of the newer crew members who didn't know her well and weren't yet out of the line of fire. She went storming down the hall. She looked into every dressing room, embarrassing a few occupants in their unmentionables and eventually got to the practice rooms. This time she didn't just burst in, just in case someone actually happened to be practicing, scaring someone in midair was never a good idea, she knew from experience. She peaked into every room and found them all empty.

Ken wasn't practicing that day. She'd noticed that he usually uses the pre-show confusion to get a few swings in without being noticed, but he'd been roped into the chaos this time too. She quickly jogged back to the backstage area.

"15 minutes!" Someone yelled; they were running out of time.

Kalos was there, wondering what all the fuss was about. Cathy was yelling at him; she was clearly stressed out. It seemed like she hadn't gotten her point across because Kalos was still confused when someone called for her attention and she stormed off as May reached them.

"What the hell is going on?" Kalos asked urgently. His expression was evidently worried.

"Sora's not here." May said quickly.

"What!" He yelled, freezing everyone in their tracks. They continued moving after a few seconds.

"She's not here yet, she's not answering her phone and there's no time to go to her dorm now! The show's about to start!" She was freaking out. "I keep almost expecting her to show up just in the nick of time but even this is too close!"

"Hold on, let me think." Kalos said loudly, trying to make her stop yelling. Suddenly the little imaginary light bulb was flashing. "How well do you know her part?" He asked quickly.

"Huh?" May wasn't following.

"Christine! How well do you know the part?" He shook her shoulders.

"Not that great!" She yelled back. "I've only done it in practice but I've watched it enough to know the essentials."

"That'll have to do." He loosened his grip. "Go get the costume on, you're playing Christine. Is Rosetta ready? "

"Yeah, I've ran it through with her like 30 times." May said nervously, Rosetta missed the mark a couple of times, but what's a couple out of thirty. She hoped the odds were in their favor; there would be no safety net this time.

"Well, now's the time to show us what she's made of." Rosetta happened to be walking by at the moment; was just supposed to be a stagehand that day. "Go!" He yelled as May ran, grabbing a shocked Rosetta's arm and dragging her into the dressing room. There was no time for panic. They only had 10 minutes.

* * *

><p>It was dark, the curtains were drawn and everything was quiet. The only sound was the gentle, rhythmic ticking of the clock, and Sora's soft breath. She just lay there, motionless, curled up into a ball tightly gripping her pillow to her chest. Just breathing was laborious, her mind was blank, her body cold, but this was the type of chill that even the softest blanket couldn't penetrate.<p>

She was pregnant, the father didn't know and she didn't remember a single thing after a certain point that night.

She won't be able to perform anymore. Acrobatics could harm the baby, and don't even get her started on what could happen if she fell. She would have to give up the one thing she loved the most. Her mind went back to just days before, a performance when the nausea was negligible. She remembered the warm glow of the lights, the wind playfully tugging at her hair as she spun and flipped from one swing to the other, the sheer freedom she felt as she flew through the air, and the warmth and safety she felt in a pair of strong arms she knew would always be there to catch her, to protect her from falling, though she didn't yet realize she was already falling hard.

Tears started to flow from her eyes, dampening her pillow; it was all over now. She could always just go back to working as part of the stage crew, but she wouldn't be able to hide things forever, she was bound to start showing eventually. How would she hide it? She supposed she could get away with wearing loose fitting clothing for a while, maybe even waist less sundresses, but people would still notice.

She could always go back to Japan; she knew her parents would be willing to help. Even though Sora wasn't really their daughter they still raised her as their own when Sora's biological parents died. Her aunt and uncle were the best they could be and had earned a place in Sora's heart as her mom and dad. But they had done so much for her; she would never want to burden them with such a huge responsibility. They had their own children to raise now, Yume was now five and Sora's youngest sister Ayumi was now 2 years old.

Her chest nearly froze again. She didn't remember that night. What if something else happened? Could she have possibly slept with someone else? Had she drank another night prior to that, if she had she wouldn't know, her loss of memory from the last time could attest to that. What if she'd slept with someone else? If she remembered correctly a few weeks before the party may had had a few friends over and Sora had some pretty suspicious tasting juice and the rest of that night was a blur. She felt sick.

But she was sure it was Leon. What would this baby do to their relationship? Would he even want the baby? Would he hate her? She couldn't bear the thought of him hating her. He can't know, it would ruin their friendship, and any chance for anything more. Nobody can know. A thought crossed her mind and just deepened the chill that was already embedded deep within her bones.

How was she supposed to raise a child? She didn't know the first thing about taking care of a baby. She took a deep, shaky breath and clutched the pillow tighter to her chest as if her life depended on it. She let out a soft sob, unaware of the small spirit listening from the corner of the room.

* * *

><p>May stood at her front door, grocery bags in hand, but it wasn't her door she was looking at. She looked at the next door over. It had been three days since anybody had heard from Sora. The night of the performance, Kalos had called her apartment; it wasn't like Sora to just not show up for a show, she never even missed practice for God's sake! Kalos had relayed the message that Sora was very sick and was taking a temporary leave of absence. She had never done something like this before and May was worried.<p>

Her worry is what drove her to knock on that door. At first she heard nothing and thought that maybe, for some odd reason, Sora wasn't home. She was about to turn away when she heard a soft shuffling sound through the door. The door opened slightly and May almost gasped but realized that it was just Sora.

She looked awful. Her face was pale, her eyes were sunken in and surrounded by dark, bruise-like marks that reminded May of a raccoon. Her cheeks looked hollow, her hair was uncombed and she was still in a pair of very wrinkled pajamas, indicating that she was probably still in bed even though it was passed one in the afternoon. Her eyes were a little swollen, almost as if she'd been crying.

Sora looked surprised to see May. "Hello." She said meekly, her voice a little hoarse.

"Oh my god." May began. "Sora are you okay?" She was very worried now.

"I'm fine, just a little under the weather." She said a little more clearly this time; she had to clear her throat.

"What do you have?" May reached out to feel Sora's forehead, she still had a slight fever. Sora brushed her hand away.

"It's no big deal; they think it might be mono but nothing to worry about. I just need to rest." Sora lied, but May didn't notice.

"Do you want me to bring you anything?" May asked indicating her grocery bags, "I could make you some soup."

"Oh no, you don't need to trouble yourself." Sora looked alarmed, she hated troubling others.

"It's fine; it's no trouble at all. I'll bring it over later." May insisted, walking back to her door, leaving no room for argument.

"but-" Sora knew it was no use. "Fine but I won't be here in a bit. I have a doctor's appointment in a bit."

"Kay." May waved and entered her apartment, leaving Sora alone at her front door.

* * *

><p>Sora felt completely out of place. She sat in one of the soft-ish chairs in a pastel colored waiting room. The walls were a light pink color with soft yellow flowers accenting the wallpaper. There was a coffee table set in the center of a group of chairs with last month's issue of almost every magazine she could think of, even some she'd never even heard of, but none of this calmed her uneasiness, or her twisting stomach.<p>

She looked around at the other women in the room. None of them looked in any way like Sora felt. She was nervous, jumpy, and frankly scared, almost like someone she knew would come walking through the door at any moment. They all looked completely calm, they looked like they belonged hear, swollen bellies and all. She saw that some women had their husbands with them, one particular man was softly stroking his wife or girlfriend's stomach, staring lovingly into her eyes as they waited to get their first ultrasound, or the woman in the corner reading a book on the meanings of baby names. There was even one woman knitting little baby booties in a light pink yarn. They all looked so happy, when she felt horrible and scared.

Sora didn't want to compare herself to those women, the ones who had someone to love them, and probably weren't here because of some mistake made one night while drunk. She felt dirty for some reason, like she now became that girl that everybody talks about but nobody really knows. She sighed as she resorted to just staring at the cover of a catalog for baby furniture.

"Is this seat taken?" A soft, sweet voice asked. Sora looked up and saw a young woman with fiery red hair and olive green eyes that were brown around the pupil. She was petite, even her belly was small though she was obviously pregnant. The young woman had a soft dusting of freckles across her softly pointed nose, she had full pink lips and her heart shaped face was framed by loose auburn curls that fell a little longer than her shoulders. She basically reminded Sora of a pixie.

"Um." Sora had to find her voice, at first she wasn't sure if she was the one being spoken to. "Nobody's sitting here, go ahead." The young woman smiled, she had a nice smile that lit up her face.

"Thanks!" She said enthusiastically, Sora noticed the smell of flowers drifting in the air disrupted by her new neighbor's sudden movement. Sora went back to looking at the catalog when she noticed the smell seemed to stay in the air around her, it wasn't overpowering like some perfumes but rather soft and subtle but still there.

"I'm Ava," The pixie said, holding out her hand. "Ava Ross."

"Sora Naegino," Sora replied with a smile.

"Like from the Kaleido Stage?" Ava became excited, her hazel eyes shining. Sora's heart sank, she was recognized.

"Yeah…" Sora drifted off.

"Oh my god, I love your shows!"

"Thanks, but it's not all me." Sora blushed.

"No but you guys are amazing, I go see all of the new shows, I love the stories." Ava smiled. "Is this your first appointment?" Ava asked. "I haven't seen you around."

"Yeah, I'm kind of new to this." Sora said quietly, looking down at her hands.

"Well congratulations," she said.

"Thanks," Sora looked at her stomach, "how far along are you?" Sora asked. "I-if you don't mind me asking…" She stammered belatedly, blushing as though she asked the woman how much she weighed.

Ava laughed. "Its fine," she playfully swatted Sora's shoulder, "I'm 6 months and getting more excited by the day!" Sora laughed. A nurse came into the waiting room.

"Sora?" She called out. Sora began to stand.

"I guess it's my turn," Sora said nervously.

"It'll be fine!" Ava laughed, "It was nice meeting you."

"Thanks, nice meeting you too." Sora said as she made her way to the door, her stomach started to twist a little.

"Good luck!" Ava called as Sora walked through the door.

* * *

><p>She never felt more violated in her life. Nobody told her that the doctors would have to do <em>that<em>, but it was confirmed, there was a small life growing inside her. Sora's mind was running a mile a minute as she began the trek back to her home in the dorms. Where would she keep a baby? Would she even have room? She'd need to leave the dorms. Her mind was a mess. What was she going to do?

The stage came into view, she was so far in her thoughts that she had walked a little too far, everybody should have been gone by then but Sora knew at least one person who was almost guaranteed to be there.

"Come in." Came a reply as Sora knocked.

"Hey Kalos." Sora said meekly as she entered his office. The owner sat behind his desk, a pile of papers spread out before him. She expected him to be mad for not showing up for the show, but he seemed almost relieved to see her.

"What's up truant?" He asked with a small lopsided smile.

"Trying not to throw up." Sora said flatly, finding the trashcan just in case.

"Shouldn't you be resting then?" He asked, focusing on his papers again.

"Probably," Sora said, she felt a lump in her throat, she needed to tell him something at least. "I won't be able to perform for a while." She said quickly. This got his attention.

"What do you mean?" He asked, eyes on her.

"It's personal, but I can't do shows, at least for a little while." Sora swallowed back the lump. "Can I go back to stage crew?" Her voice cracked a little at the end as her nose tingled, tears were threatening to spill down her cheeks.

Kalos was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry to have to ask this Kalos" the tears were collecting now. "It's not that I'm grateful, but there are circumstance preventing me from performing, I can't really explain it to you but it's completely out of my control." She was crying now.

"I see." Kalos said, trying to sound sympathetic. "I'll see what I can do." He said quietly.

"Thank you," Sora said through her tears, "Thank you so much, Kalos, I'm so sorry."

Kalos didn't know what to do about her tears, "its fine, you're obviously very tired, go home and get some rest." Sora nodded and made her way to the door.

"Thank you." She said again.

* * *

><p>Leon sat in his apartmentdorm room just staring at a wall. He had been trying to read a book but the words just looked like a bunch meaningless jumbled letters. He couldn't concentrate. His mind just kept wondering back to a certain purple haired girl who had been plaguing his thoughts more often than he would like to admit, even to himself. Why hadn't she been showing up to practice? She'd even missed three shows now and not so much as a call, not that he expected her to call him or anything (but he could hope, couldn't he?)

He'd been performing with May, which wasn't all that bad considering that they had been partners before. They performed together in Dracula, Romeo and Juliet and were even partners for the international Circus Festival, so there was no problem with that (though he was at least a little glad that she had omitted the kiss from their performances, placing a hand on his cheek to block their mouths doing a stage kiss instead, the audience was none the wiser.)

He had to wonder though, where was she? Or better yet, what did she have? He'd never thought that a sickness could stop her from performing, it must be serious if it was enough to make her stay home. (Oh Leon, you have no idea.) Was she avoiding him? God, he sounded like a teenager. He needed to not worry, it wasn't his business what she did in her personal life. He tried to convince himself that he didn't care and tried to focus, yet again, on a meaningless book.

* * *

><p>It was about a week later and Sora still wasn't up for seeing her coworkers, it isn't all that uncommon for people to take time off for mental health reasons, and seeing their faces and being bombarded by questions would just break her right then and there. Her mind often wandered to a specific silver haired man. Her chest began to ache when she thought of how Leon would react to the news, but he would never find out, she would do anything she could to make sure of that, she couldn't risk losing his trust. But there was one thing that was eating away at her more than the thought of losing Leon… was he the father? She needed to know, and that was what lead her to this.<p>

She knew he wasn't home at the time, there was practice that afternoon and he was supposed to be there for another hour still, it was the perfect opportunity. She needed to do this, she thought as she looked up to his back balcony, the lights were off, and the dorm was empty.

She took a quick look around to make sure nobody was watching. She grabbed the drain pipe and shimmied her way up to the balcony and hoped to god that the sliding door was unlocked. She felt like such a criminal, breaking into a friend/coworker's house in broad daylight while they weren't home, but she needed to do this so she could keep at least a shred of sanity.

She swung herself over the railing and landed with catlike grace, thankful that her morning sickness wasn't so bad that day. She looked around, yet again, feeling paranoid. There was no one in sight. She tried the door which slid open easily under the tug of her hand, she heaved a sigh of relief. She stuck her head into the room, quickly surveying it. It was remarkably tidier than hers, the bed was made, his desk was clear and his clothes was all neatly put away, not hanging from half open drawers of in a pile on the floor as her's was at the moment; she really needed to clean her room, but enough of that.

She quickly made her way to his bathroom, looking for a hair brush or something, something that had his DNA on it. No she wasn't a creeper or anything but DNA was needed to perform a paternity test. The doctor said it was still a little early but doable. She just needed a piece of hair. Of course she could have gotten one from his dressing room at the stage house with a lot less trouble but let me bring to back to the 'seeing the faces would cause her to break right then and there' statement. She couldn't risk breaking down in front of her closest friends, it took everything not to break down alone, her hormones were all over the place.

She found a brush, but it was completely cleaned. Damn, why did he have to be so thorough? She sighed and went back into the room. A small glimmer caught her eye. She looked down and saw a very familiar little object on his bureau.

There, shining like it was brand new, was her charm bracelet, the thing she lost but that had become the least of her worries over the past few weeks. She gingerly picked up the little trinket, feeling its weight in her hand, though it was very light. She placed it on her wrist, it fit a little more loosely than she remembered, but then again, she was able to eat then. The weight felt a little strange on her wrist but not uncomfortable. She sighed and smiled slightly, feeling at least a little bit of relief in this hectic time, she even thought of a little charm that would fit in just nicely, a little bassinet would look perfect between her drama masks and heart, or even a pacifier, she smiled at the thought of a little bundle swaddled in a soft pastel colored blanket.

She had to shake herself from the thought, now was not the time, she needed to focus. She heard a small rattling noise, but thought nothing of it, thinking it was just from her charms, then she heard the rattling grow louder and there was a click. Her heart leapt into her throat. Someone had just unlocked the door.

Leon was home.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note**** :** I know i'm awful! please forgive me for taking so long! Leave plenty of reviews.**  
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Chapter 12

What the hell was he doing home so early?!

She heard the doorknob rattle again; there was a soft clicking sound.

Sora was now in panic mode and her fight or flight reflex was acting, she did the only thing she could think of right then. She dove into the closet, pulling the shuttered door shut behind her just as the front door opened. Her breath caught in her throat.

_This was a bad idea,_ she thought, it was over, she was going to get caught and had no explanation. Well, she did have an explanation but she couldn't just step out and tell Leon right to his face "Yeah, we slept together but you don't remember and now I'm pregnant. You might not be the father because I drank a few weeks before and have no idea what I did so I need to get a paternity test. Can I have some of your hair?"

She was doomed. What was she thinking? Breaking and entering, well not really breaking but she was trespassing and without a reasonable explanation that wouldn't make him hate her. Her nose started prickling and her throat started to hurt. Oh hell, she was about to start crying. Stupid hormones!

She needed to remain silent; he was walking into the room. Man was she glad she'd closed the door behind her. She needed to think and think fast, did she move anything? Not anything really noticeable that she could think of. Her nose started to itch. She moved to scratch it when her bracelet made a small jingling noise. _Damn!_ She froze, looking through the slots in the door. Leon didn't seem to notice.

He walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. She let out the breath she had been holding. Now was her chance. She slowly began to slide the door open, careful not to make any noise. If she was caught, her life would be over, okay she was being a little melodramatic but it still wouldn't be good.

She took a breath just as the bathroom door opened again. She hadn't opened the door much yet but she didn't think she'd ever moved so fast in her life. She quickly slid the door shut the rest of the way, hoping it didn't make any noise and held her breath. And it was a good thing too, because the sight she saw was just about to take it away.

But hey, what do you expect when the object of everyone's desires that could put Adonis to shame was strutting around in the nude save for a towel around the waist. She could see his chiseled chest, his strong arms, the arms she was held in on a daily basis on the stage, the arms she wished she could feel around her again, his hip bones stuck out just above the top of the towel, his beautiful white-silver hair brushed against the top of the towel, she wondered how he kept his hair so nice, he didn't even have a single split end! Focus Sora! She couldn't keep herself from staring. He was beautiful, it's a good thing she was somewhat used to seeing him or she would have swooned right then and there.

Wait. Swooning? Beautiful? Wanting to be wrapped in his arms? Why was she thinking these things? Those weren't the thoughts one would normally have about a friend. It must be the hormones… even though the feelings started before the pregnancy, but she had more important things to worry about; she could sort out her raging feelings and emotions later, right now she need to get out of there.

He had walked over to his dresser and pulled something out of the drawer, must have been a pair of underwear, Sora almost giggled. What the hell! She was acting like a schoolgirl now! She needed to calm down. Damn! He was coming over! She pushed herself into one corner of his closet and hid herself behind some of his clothes. Tears sprang into her eyes; she had never been so terrified in her life. She heard the door slide open and held her breath, praying he couldn't hear her racing heart.

She could hear him shuffling through the clothes on the hangers, he was getting closer. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the fury. She could hear him pull something from a hanger and close the door. The tears started to flow, she was so relieved. She sat in silence for a few minutes, waiting until she heard the shower before she moved. She slowly opened the door and tiptoed to the sliding door; she took one last quick look around the room and noticed a small glint from Leon's pillow. She walked over and when she looked closely, noticed it was a strand of hair. She almost did a little victory dance right there. She went back to the door, inched it open and squeezed out, sliding it back shut behind her. After climbing over the railing of the balcony, she gracefully dropped herself to the ground and took off in a dead run.

Sora had always been able to jog long distances, but to be able to sprint from Leon's apartment to hers was only feasible due to the rush of adrenaline she got from almost being caught. She was panting when she slammed the door shut behind her.

"We have got to stop meeting like this." She heard a voice call from in the kitchenette. She turned her head so fast she almost got whiplash!

"Fool!" She cried when she saw the eight inch tall spirit sitting on her counter. "You scared the hell out of me!"

"Someone's awful jumpy." He said with a smirk, almost like he knew something was up.

"Where have you been?" Sora asked, she hadn't seen him in over a week.

"You seemed like you wanted to be alone, so I left you alone, thought maybe I'd pay a little visit to Rosetta since she'd been gone for a while, she can still see me." He smiled nostalgically.

"Thanks." Sora truly appreciated it. Though Fool may be a pervert and a pain at times, he was great when it really mattered.

"Where have _you _been?" Fool asked with one eyebrow raised.

Sora blanched. "I uh, well you see, I went for a walk." She said unconvincingly, she was a horrible liar. "I've got an appointment I need to go to, see you!" And she took off again, hoping the maternity clinic accepted walk-ins. Fool just stood there, shaking his head with a smile.

* * *

><p>"Humph!" came a grunt from above as May walked into the practice room. The building was mostly empty now that practice was over. She was doing pretty well as Christine, but it seemed strange that nobody had seen Sora for nearly a week; whatever she had must really be bad and May didn't want to catch it. She heard the creak of the moving swing and brought her eyes up to the flying form that was Ken Robbins. May couldn't help but smile. She had to say she was impressed by how fast Ken was regaining his form.<p>

She watched him do a nearly flawless backwards layout, she smiled; he'd be able to perform again in no time, that is, if he wanted to. May held a wrapped package under one arm and wondered if Ken could smell it, or if he even knew she was there, she doubted it since he was still twenty feet up. Ken let go of the swing, did a twisted back layout, and dropped down to the net. A wicked smile spread across her face. May quickly ducked behind a training matt that had been propped up against a wall as Ken walked over to get his water. He wore black basketball shorts and a muscle shirt which was now plastered against his chest, his hair stood up in every direction; May had to admit she thought he looked pretty sexy. He had his back to her; perfect.

May set down the bag and took a running start toward him, her footsteps light so he didn't hear her. She got about two feet behind him and jumped, placing her hands on his shoulders and using him as a vaulting horse, leapfrogging over him.

"What the-?" Ken yelled as May vaulted over him, and he, being unprepared, fell to the floor as May landed gracefully in front of him.

"Surprise." May smiled as she squatted down to his level. "I brought you lunch."

Ken's face was still set in an expression of shock with a hint of embarrassment. He hadn't expected her and didn't even that she knew he'd begun practicing again, but as soon as he saw that dazzling smile on her face, he couldn't keep his mouth from turning up at the corners.

"Hello to you too!" He laughed as May helped him to his feet. He brushed himself off.

"Looking good." She said, grabbing Ken's hand and leading him to the bag she'd brought with her. "The dismount needs a little work though."

* * *

><p>"What do you mean the results came back negative?!" Sora nearly screamed she felt like a blizzard started blowing in her chest and thought her heart would stop beating; her hands were clenched so tightly that her knuckles were white.<p>

"I'm sorry, but these are the results." The nurse showed Sora a chart with a bunch of words and numbers that Sora didn't know the meaning of, it was like if they told her to read Greek! Sora's eyes began to water; the stress was starting to break her.

The poor nurse looked scared, but she wasn't the only one. Leon wasn't the father. Sora's mind went blank. She didn't know who else she it could be, as far as she knew, Leon was the only man she'd ever slept with, and even that she wasn't exactly sure of.

The nurse left Sora alone for a few minutes as she went to speak to the doctor. Why was this happening to her? What would she tell her parents? Her parents! They were supposed to come visit in a few weeks with Yume and Ayumi! She had completely forgotten with all the stress. She needed to prepare for them, she needed to find a good excuse as to why she was avoiding everybody, she needed to keep this a secret and most of all, she needed to find out who the father of her baby was. Her palms started to throb; she loosened her grip, leaving little red crescents in the palms of her hands.

* * *

><p>Is she okay? Leon wondered as he sat at an outdoor café, blankly stirring his coffee, staring at his napkin. He hadn't seen Sora for over a week and had the strange feeling that something was wrong. He wondered if she was avoiding him, if maybe he'd done something wrong. She wouldn't even speak to him in the days after the wedding before she got sick and went under the radar. What was going on?<p>

"Leon?" Annette asked from across the table, drawing his attention back to the conversation that he wasn't really following.

"Yes?" He answered, trying to look like he was listening.

"I said I am going to stay with Pierre for a few weeks." Her eyes held an excited sparkle. "Do you have anything you want to say to him?"

"Just say that I said Hello." Leon said with a bit of a forced smile. Annette could tell he had something on his mind.

"What is wrong?" She asked, concerned, reaching across the table for his hand.

"Nothing." He lied.

"Do not lie to me, Leon Oswald." Annette said sternly in the same voice she used to use to boss him around with when they were kids.

He chuckled, "you know your English is getting good." He said trying to change the subject.

Annette swatted him on the arm. "Stop avoiding my question!" They were silent for a moment. "Is it the pretty Japanese girl?"

Leon stiffened; Annette raised an eyebrow, knowing she got an edge on him. She smirked a little as she poured honey into her tea. "You know I do not think she is seeing anyone." Annette wiggled her eyebrows; Leon could feel his face heating.

"Whether or not she is seeing anyone is not my business." Leon said, looking away, taking a long drink of his coffee which was still scalding, the only thing he accomplished from this was burning his tongue and acting like a child.

"But you want it to be." It wasn't a question; she took a sip of her tea, the honey made it sweet; just the way she liked. Leon was silent, there was a soft breeze playing in his long silver hair which was currently pulled back into a ponytail. He wore his usual gray and black attire, even in the early august heat. Annette wondered if he even felt the heat at all as she could feel her skin tanning in her yellow sundress.

"Do you really think she is not seeing anyone?"

* * *

><p>"Are you sure about this, Master Fool?" Rosetta asked as she stood at the top platform in one of the practice rooms.<p>

"You'll do fine." The small spirit said from just above her left shoulder. Rosetta had been working with the trapeze for a while but had never really done any tricks of high caliber; sure she did layouts and caught others, among other things, but never a double twisted layout, landing on a high wire.

"But I've never done this before," Rosetta was nervous; she could feel her palms getting sweaty, which only added to the anxiety that she was going to fall.

"Don't you trust me?" Fool asked innocently enough.

"It's not that I don't trust you…" Rosetta trailed off, she looked at the distance between the swing and the wire, she was just scared of injuring herself when she finally got to perform an actual role on the famed Kaleido Stage.

"I'll be with you the whole way," Fool said soothingly, and oddly enough, Rosetta believed him and that she could do it, she jumped.

* * *

><p>Sora's head was pounding, her stomach was churning and twisting violently, and now her lower abdomen was hurting, almost like she was having cramps. The doctor had said that some cramping would be normal, so she wasn't really worried about it; she had more important things to worry about. She was walking through the waiting room on her way to the exit, focusing mostly on not throwing up when she heard a slightly familiar voice.<p>

"Sora?" The soft voice said as Sora was quickly surrounded by a sweet floral scent. Sora turned and saw the petite redhead that was Ava Ross.

"Hello." Sora said with a slightly forced smile, don't get her wrong, she was happy to see Ava, but her stomach had picked just that time to put itself through a wringer.

"Are you okay? You look a little pale." Ava said in a concerned tone. She was wearing a floral print tunic shirt over cargo shorts; her hair was pulled into a messy bun held in place by a chopstick.

"I'm fine." Sora smiled a little weakly, "Morning sickness." She added lightly.

"Oh." She said in a way that said she understood completely.

"Are you here for an appointment?" Sora asked.

"Actually my appointment is over, you?"

"I was just leaving." She had some things she needed to figure out.

"I was just about to stop for tea, I'm also going to pick up some coffee for Grant, I know this really great café, and they've great Danishes." She looked into her purse for something, then gave up. "Do you want to come with me?"

"I don't know," Sora said, "I'm not feeling too great." She got a particularly sharp pain in her stomach, Ava probably saw her wince.

"Listen, they have this really great ginger tea that I found out first hand, does miracles for morning sickness. My treat?" She added. It seemed like she really wanted Sora to go and Sora couldn't find it in her to say no.

It was beautiful outside. The kind of beautiful day where it was hard to look outside without squinting. It turns out that Ava had been looking for her sunglasses, which she must have dropped somewhere. "I'll just get some new ones." She laughed. Sora's impression of Ava was that she was just a generally happy person. There was a beep from Ava's waist.

She pulled something that looked like a pager from the waist of her pants, there was a small tube leading from the little device back up under her shirt. Ava took a look at the screen and replaced it. "Low sugar." She said simply.

"You're diabetic?" Sora asked.

"Since I was born." She added, "I just need to eat something is all." She looked forward. Sora followed her eyes and saw a young couple pushing a stroller; they looked very happy, cooing at the baby and just staring lovingly at each other. Sora sighed.

"I can't wait." Ava said.

"Hmm."

"Only two months to go, I think it'll all go good this time." She laughed nervously.

"This time?" Sora asked as they kept walking.

"This is my third pregnancy." Ava said. "Hopefully the first baby though, my diabetes has made it hard for me to even get pregnant in the first place, let along actually have a baby." They lapsed into silence.

"Wait, how old were you the first time?" Sora asked, Ava didn't look old enough to have been pregnant three times.

"21." She said simply.

Sora stopped walking suddenly; Ava walked a few steps farther before turning to see why Sora stopped. "How old are you now?"

"26." She said as if it was the most obvious thing.

"I thought you were only 19!" Sora laughed as she resumed her pace.

"I get that a lot, it's because I'm short!" They laughed together. "This is it." Sora recognized the place; this was where she'd had lunch with the girls the day after the party.

"I've eaten here before." Sora said. "It was really good, I really like the-" she trailed off as she looked at the outdoor tables. The sight made her chest constrict, almost to the point of it being painful. She saw Leon sitting at one of the tables, but that wasn't what made her chest hurt. Sitting across from Leon, was the platinum bombshell that was Annette St. Claire. Her laughter rang like a bell, but to Sora it almost sounded like a funeral march. To make matters worse, Annette had actually spotted Sora and was waving her over. It would have been rude to ignore her, so Sora gestured for Ava to follow her.

"Sora!" Annette called as she pulled her into a hug and kissed her cheeks. "It is so nice to see you!"

"Nice to see you too, Annette." She turned, "Leon," she nodded. He seemed a little shocked to see her.

"Who is this?" Annette asked, indicating Ava.

"This is Ava Ross," Sora began introductions, "Ava, this is Annette St. Claire and my stage partner, Leon Oswald." Ava shook both their hands and Sora could see Leon's eyes focus of Ava's stomach. Ava didn't notice.

"You have such a lovely perfume." Annette commented. Ava beamed.

"Oh, I don't wear perfume." She laughed. "I own a flower shop so I guess the smell just follows me."

"Really?" Sora asked. "I didn't know that."

"Yeah, I just recently did a few weddings over the summer; this must be my favorite season."

"That is amazing." Annette said. "I love flowers!" Annette turned her attention to Ava's stomach. Her eyes stayed glued there for a few moments. Ava noticed this time.

"I'm anxious for the big day." She said softly, almost as if she was scared to jinx herself.

Annette raised a hand. "May I?"

"Go ahead," she must've been used to it. Annette placed her hand on the bump protruding from Ava's midsection, her eyes lit up and her smile widened. Leon was as quiet and stoic as always, Sora was getting uncomfortable, like she had betrayed him or something, she didn't like the way he was staring at her, her heart pounded and her stomach twisted.

She looked at their table quickly and realized that they must have been on a date, a date that she was now interrupting.

"Um, Ava?" Sora felt bad for interrupting. "Didn't you say you had to get coffee for someone?" She didn't like the tension and just wanted to get out of there.

"Oh, yeah, Grant is waiting for me." She turned back to Annette and Leon. "It was nice meeting you." She smiled.

"You also." Annette said, Leon remained silent, just staring at Sora.

"Goodbye." Sora said softly and turned away, Ava walking behind her.

* * *

><p>He knew it, she was avoiding him.<p>

* * *

><p>Sora didn't sleep a wink that night. She kept tossing and turning, the cramps coming and going and she knew she couldn't take anything without it effecting the baby, so she spent the night in and out of bed, the bathroom, and the kitchen, just walking around, curling up on the floor here, stretching out there, taking warm baths, just trying to get comfortable.<p>

She was miserable, but nobody said this would be easy. The morning finally came and along with the light came a new wave of cramps. She knew some cramping was normal, but this was too much. She spent the day trying to find ways to make the pain go away. Still, she showered, got dressed and did her hair, trying to just ignore the discomfort. She needed to think now. She tried to find a comfortable position on the couch.

Who could the father be? She knew for a fact that she hadn't gotten that close to anyone else she knew, so she could see no possibilities. She was utterly stumped and the stress was eating her alive! She still needed to get ready for her parents' visit, make the appropriate arrangements for when she would have the baby, deal with the other cast members, find a new place to live eventually, among other things. She thought her head was going to explode.

"What's up?"

"AAHH!" Sora nearly leapt out of her skin. She hated when Fool just appeared like that, why couldn't he just knock or something before scaring the living hell out of her.

"Nice to see you too." Fool said from the countertop.

"Fool! Don't scare me like that!" She said, sitting up, she suddenly got dizzy and a particularly strong cramp made her grab her stomach.

"Are you okay?" He asked. His voice was full of concern but Sora ignored him, suddenly very thirsty. The pain in her stomach made it nearly impossible for her to stand up straight. She got herself a glass of water, moving slowly so as not to increase her pain.

"Sora?" His voice sounded a little muffled. Her vision was swimming as she brought the glass to her lips. Suddenly she felt like someone had kicked her in the stomach with a soccer cleat. She dropped the glass and sank to the floor, arms wrapped tightly around her midsection. The pain was unbearable; the tears were just streaming down her face. Cut her arm on a piece of glass, the blood began to pool on the floor. Fool began to panic. "Sora!" He yelled. "Are you okay? Can you hear me?!" She only moaned in agony. He tried in vain to lift her head. With no other ideas, he suddenly disappeared. Sora just lay there in a spreading puddle of blood, not all of it from her arm.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note:** I literally sat and wrote this all day, just so you guys wouldn't have to stay in suspense for too long, but i kind of enjoy keep you guys in suspense, please don't hate me for it!

Chapter 13

Leon had spent most of the day lounging around; he had the day off and tried to read a book. He couldn't concentrate, the words had started blurring together over an hour ago and he'd just read the same line three times. His mind was on her again. She looked pale the day before when her and the redhead had stumbled upon him and Annette having lunch, he wondered where she had met the pregnant woman who looked strangely familiar. Sora had barely said two words to him before hightailing it out of there. Had he done something to make her that mad? He knew that he was being a little unfair to her at the wedding but he never would have thought that their little argument would have turned into something like this. Maybe he should apologize to her. Wait, what did he have to apologize to her for? It wasn't like he was her boyfriend or anything. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind and concentrate on his book but after reading the same line four more times he just gave up.

He stood up, stretching his arms over his head and feeling his back pop in three places. He set his book down and walked over to his coffee pot and poured himself a cup. His apartment was dim and silent as he stood leaning against the counter, he looked over to the farther corner of his living room at the stand-up piano he had against the wall and thought about maybe playing a little music as a way to pass the day. Leon had been playing piano since he was just a child, before he'd met Annette and Pierre; he used to play for Sophie all the time and she would sing for him, he smiled a little at the thought of his little sister. He missed her.

"Leon!" Came a voice like a gunshot in the silence. He jumped about three feet in the air and spilled half his coffee on the counter. He turned to see Fool standing on his counter, a look of horror on his face as he panted. Leon didn't even know that spirits could pant.

"What's wrong?" Leon asked, concerned because he'd never seen Fool look so terrified before.

"It's Sora!" Fool said between breaths as Leon's stopped short.

"What's wrong with her?!" Leon asked, now face to face with the small specter, his heart racing.

"I don't know!" Fool said. "She just collapsed." He had barely finished the sentence before Leon was out the door, his coffee still forming a steaming puddle on the counter.

* * *

><p>Sora could feel a warm wetness spreading over her but that was the least of her worries. It felt as though someone had set a rabid wolverine lose inside her and it was trying to tear its way out. She moaned in pure agony as the sharp and prolonged pains spread, she couldn't move from her fetal position as she clutched her stomach tightly willing the pain to go away. She thought she was dying. There was a sharp ringing in her ears as her vision started to blur, tears flowing from her eyes. An agonized moan ripped itself from her throat.<p>

"Help… me…" she cried in a cracked voice as the world went black around her.

* * *

><p>"SORA!" Leon yelled as he banged on the door, silence was his only answer. It had only taken him a few minutes to get to her apartment, but that did nothing to quell is anxiety. "SORA!" He yelled again, but he heard nothing. He tried the doorknob, but it wouldn't budge under his grip. He threw himself into the door, but it wouldn't even move.<p>

"Damn!" He jumped down the stairs and sprinted around the side of the building, finding her balcony. He jumped up and grabbed the edge, pulling himself up and climbing over the railing. The sliding door opened easily, signaling that she may have gone out earlier that day and forgotten to lock it back, normally Leon would scold her for not locking her doors but for now he was extremely thankful.

The apartment was silent, eerily so. "Sora?" He called, quickly striding through her bedroom and into the short hall leading to her kitchen and living room, that's when the sickly sweet coppery smell invaded his nose. He saw red droplets on the floor, leading from the living room into the kitchen where they disappeared behind the counter. He followed them and his heart dropped into his stomach.

"SORA!" He yelled as he crouched down next to her. She lay in a fetal position in a pool of blood. Her body was limp and he could see that she had a gash on her right arm, though it didn't look deep enough to cause so much blood loss. He lifted her head off the floor and turned her face towards his.

"Sora, talk to me!" He said loudly, "Open your eyes!" He pleaded, lightly slapping her cheek, but she didn't respond. He quickly looked around for something that could help him. He set her down gently and leapt to his feet. He ran into her room and grabbed the blanket from her bed. He sprinted back to the kitchen, wrapped Sora in the blanket and lifted her into his arms, she felt lighter than he remembered.

He managed to get her front door open and quickly carried her down the steps, placing her in the front seat of his still running car.

* * *

><p>Sora moaned from beside him as Leon sped down the street, his four way flashers on.<p>

"We are almost there." He said, mostly reassuring himself. He could see the hospital in the distance.

"Mmm… aby…" she whimpered. "Help…. M… by…"

Leon couldn't quite make out what she was saying but he could hear the agony in her voice, whatever was wrong with her, it was really painful.

"It will be okay." He hoped.

* * *

><p>Leon hated hospitals, he hated the fluorescent lights, the antiseptic scent, and most of all the anxiety of not knowing what was happening. He looked around to the other people in the waiting room. He saw a woman sitting, her nose red, nearly glowing, her face pale, and she held tissues in her hands, she was waiting her turn. There was a middle aged man a few seats down with a strange looking rash creeping up his neck, other than the three of them, the waiting room was empty. Leon could hear a couple of nurses giggling from behind the counter, he looked at them and they blushed and turned away, occasionally looked sneaking peeks at him.<p>

He sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling and wondering what was taking the doctors so long. They had taken Sora in right away when Leon had run in, carrying her in his arms. They took her right from him and pushed her away, taking her into some unknown back room, leaving him alone to wait anxiously as they worked on her. He took to staring at the ceiling tiles and counting the holes in each.

"Leon!" he heard his name called from the entrance, he looked up to see Layla Hamilton and Yuri Killian enter, followed by May, Ken, Rosetta, Kalos, Sarah, and Layla and Yuri's children, Stella and Alexander. He stood up to greet them. Leon had called Kalos earlier to let him know of what happened, he must have called the others before coming. "Have you heard anything yet?" Layla asked, her face full of worry.

"Nothing yet." He said solemnly. Stella and Alexander ran out from behind their father and ran up to Leon.

"Uncle Leon!" Stella yelled as she grabbed hold of his leg. "I missed you!" She looked around. "Where's auntie Sora?" Leon knelt down so they were eye to eye; he placed his hands on her shoulders and said, mostly to himself. "Everything will be fine." They all took seats in the waiting room and waited in silence. May and Ken sat together, holding hands. Layla sat down holding a sleeping Alexander rubbing his back, as Yuri read one of the picture books to Stella. Kalos sat beside Leon, Sarah sat on his other side, comfortingly holding his hand.

"Mr. Oswald?" A nurse called, what seemed like hours later. Leon stood up and everybody followed, looking apprehensive. The nurse looked at everybody nervously, "You can see her now," she looked to everybody else, "but if you are all coming I'll have to ask you all to be very quiet, she's sleeping." She turned away. "Please follow me."

* * *

><p>Sora looked like she'd been hit by a train. Her face was pale, her eyes were surrounded by bruise-like circles, and she just looked so fragile as she was hooked up to the heart monitor and the IV drip. Leon took the chair near her bedside and just stared at her, wondering what had made her so sick. He could see that they had wrapped up the gash on her arm. He placed a hand on her forehead and gently caressed her cheek as if they were the only people in the room. He took her small hand in his and gently stroked the back of it with his thumb. She didn't move, the others were silent. Her purple hair was splayed across the pillow like a colored halo. He paid no mind to May, Ken, Layla, Yuri, and their children; Kalos and Sarah went to make arrangements for Sora's care while she was there.<p>

They sat in silence for a while, hoping that she would wake up soon when the doctor came in. The doctor was a relatively young man who appeared to be in at most his early thirties, he had shaggy brown hair and wore wire-rimmed glasses on his aquiline nose.

"Mr. Oswald," he said quietly, "a word please?" Leon looked down at Sora and reluctantly released her hand as he stood up; he nodded to the others in the room.

"Yes?" Leon said when they went into the hall.

"Well we can surely say that she will have to permanent physical damage, I think that you should try to keep her stress as low as possible, high stress may cause complications in her condition." Leon was confused but nodded anyways.

"You did well in bringing her here as quickly as you did, but you got extremely lucky, I suggest calling the ambulance next time. But as I said, you two were very lucky." He looked into Leon's eyes. "We were just in time to save the baby."

"Wait." Leon thought he'd misheard the doctor. "What?"

"I said we were in time to save the baby, that young lady was extremely lucky, most people experiencing such pain as she was would have miscarried their child." The doctor was very serious, Leon's heart dropped into his stomach, his chest grew cold and his limbs felt like lead.

"She's pregnant?" he gasped almost inaudibly.

"Auntie Sora!" He heard Stella cry from the room. Leon looked back and saw the Sora's eyes were open, she turned to him and smiled weakly when their eyes met, but when she saw his expression, her smile turned into a look of sadness.

"Mr. Oswald?" The doctor said cautiously. Leon turned away, looked at the doctor, then turned away and walked away, still feeling numb. "Mr. Oswald!" the doctor called more loudly, but Leon just kept walking.

He was almost to the exit when he heard the unmistakable click of heals on the tile floor.

"Leon!" Layla called, running up behind him, he kept walking. "Leon!" She said louder this time, placing a hand on his shoulder and pulling him to face her. "What's wrong?"

Leon looked away and tried to leave but Layla tightened her grip. "Don't ignore me!" She said sternly. "What's wrong?"

Leon looked into her eyes and said in a blank voice, "she's pregnant." He could see the shock on Layla's face as she processed this new information; he brushed her hand off his shoulder and walked out of the hospital.

"Leon!" He heard her cry behind him, but he just kept walking, the cold numbness in his chest spreading.

* * *

><p>Sora could hear muffled and blended sounds as she began to regain consciousness. She could hear a steady beep and feel an ache in her left hand. She felt disoriented and couldn't figure out where she was. There was a dull ache in her abdomen, she moved her hand to her stomach as she slowly opened her eyes, waiting for her vision to stop moving and clear up.<p>

"Auntie Sora!" She heard a small voice call, but the voice sounded like it was underwater, she felt a small hand take hold of hers. She turned her head and saw the slightly blurry face of Stella Killian. Sora smiled weakly. She heard another familiar voice from out in the hall. She turned to the door and saw Leon standing there, staring at her, his face completely blank. She was extremely happy to see him, she tried to smile but her attempt only turned up a weak upturning of the corner of her mouth.

His expression changed, though it was only slight, it was unmistakable, his mouth turned downward, his eyes closed slightly and his eyebrows turned up, she only saw it for a second, but his expression said everything. Her smile disappeared as she processed the look on his face. Her chest grew cold and tears formed in her eyes as she realized that the look she saw before he stormed away was hurt.

The tears started to flow as she heard the doctor call out to him, Layla stood up and ran out of the room, Yuri looked up, surprised, but stayed seated, holding Alexander who was still sleeping. May and Ken, just looked at the empty seat where the heiress was previously sitting.

"Auntie Sora, why are you crying?" Stella asked sweetly, Sora just lifted her arm and pulled Stella into a weak hug. He knew.

* * *

><p>Leon didn't remember most of the drive home; honestly, he didn't remember much of what happened for the rest of that day. He just sat in the dark silence of his apartment, completely numb, his mind blank. He just kind of lounged around his place, staring at a blank spot on the wall. He felt cold, it was hard to move, but shock will do that to a person.<p>

Sora was pregnant. He just couldn't wrap his mind around it. His partner, his friend, _his_ Sora, was pregnant. But he supposed she wasn't his if she'd gone and slept with someone else, resulting in a _child_. He thought that there may had been something between them, he didn't know what exactly, but he did know that he thought about her more than a normal friend would. But even if there was something between them, or even if there wasn't, there wasn't much of a chance of anything now, not if she was close enough to someone else to make a baby. His head was starting to hurt, his throat hurt and his nose started to prickle.

He slowly stood up and walked to his bathroom. He looked in his medicine cabinet for some painkillers, his head was killing him. He found the nearly empty bottle and closed the mirror, getting a good look at his reflection. His eyes, normally a pale silver-violet, were now almost a stormy gray, almost like thunder clouds. His eyes looked glossy, his hair was a mess, and he looked pale. He breathed a heavy sigh, his breath cracked at the end when the realization hit, she loved someone else. His vision blurred as he grabbed hold of the sides of the counter, his knuckles turning white, he clenched his teeth as a warm wetness dripped down his cheeks.

* * *

><p>Sora was relieved, her baby was safe, but she now had other problems. She was confined to a bed in the hospital, everybody was almost being overly conscious around her, she felt slow and it was hard to move, oh and did she mention she didn't know who the father of her baby was? Pft and the doctors told her to keep her stress level down, everything was just peachy, at least she was getting visitors, though not the one she wanted to see the most but was also terrified of confronting, damn hormones.<p>

She had been in the hospital for almost a week and was informed that she is now nine weeks along and the baby is fine. She should be able to leave within the next few days. Today May had brought her lunch in the form of her home made Chinese food; it was great, though Sora still didn't have much of an appetite. She had left only a little earlier and was thoughtful enough to bring Sora a book, that fact that she was suddenly pregnant didn't seem to faze May much, if it did and she was hiding it, Sora appreciated it; she didn't want people thinking badly of her for it, especially for something so precious.

Sora just couldn't wait to be able to go home, hell, she'd settle for being able to wear something that wouldn't show her ass when she stood up. Dr. Kate had come to visit her a few time also while she was doing her rounds, today was one of those days.

"How are you doing?" She asked that afternoon.

"Oh, just peachy, can I put on some pants now?" She whined sarcastically, Dr. Kate laughed.

"I've got some good news for you." Dr. Kate said, getting right to the point.

"Let me guess," Sora said, "I won the lottery?"

"No." She took the seat next to the bed

"We have finally achieved world peace?"

"No." she laughed.

"I'm not going to be hated by everybody I know for being pregnant and not giving them any info about it?"

"Yes, but that's not it." Dr. Kate pulled out a clipboard and handed it to Sora. Sora just saw a bunch of number sand words that meant absolutely nothing to her, or did they?

"What is this?" Sora asked, genuinely curious now.

"This is the results to your paternity test you took."

Sora blushed. "You know about that?" She suddenly felt ashamed.

"It's nothing to feel ashamed about, you just wanted to know." She said reassuringly stroking Sora's back.

"I already know the results," Sora said flatly handing the clipboard back.

"I thought to might find this interesting though." Dr. Kate said coyly, "you see this row, how they're all the same?"

"Yeah, so?" Sora said not getting it.

"This means that it matches."

Then it hit her. "Wait, so you mean…" she trailed off.

"It came back positive, I had them re-run the test and it turns out that they had mixed up the files," Dr. Kate said, "I just thought you'd like to know."

Tears were starting to flow down Sora's face now.

"Are you okay?" Dr. Kate asked.

"I'm just so relieved!" Sora cried as Dr. Kate wrapped her arms around her in a hug. Leon was the father after all.

* * *

><p>"Leon! What the hell's wrong with you today?" Cathy yelled through a megaphone during practice. He ignored her. His mind was still on Sora, he felt awful for not going to visit, but he didn't think he could face her just yet. He couldn't help the feeling of betrayal, even though it wasn't like they were dating or anything. Why the hell was he so hung up on this?<p>

"Okay! Take five everyone!" Cathy called when she saw that things weren't going to improve anytime soon. It had been a week since the day that Leon had brought Sora to the hospital, a week since he found out that she was pregnant, a week since he felt like his heart had been ripped out, but why?

He jumped down from the trapeze and let himself fall into the net where he lay for a few minutes, just staring up into the lights. He turned over and rolled off the net. He walked over to the far wall and got his water bottle, he heard a commotion behind him. When he turned he only saw a dark spot, maybe looking into the stage lights wasn't such a good idea, but based off of the sounds people were making, he knew exactly who had arrived, and his chest was torn open once again.

"Hey mommy!" Andrew said cheerfully, Leon's eyes cleared up in time for him to see Andrew scoop Sora up into a hug and touch her stomach. He could feel his face heating up; it was him. Leon had noticed how he had been getting close to Sora lately, he'd bring her water, always talking to her, bringing her home after the engagement party, she probably left with him after the wedding also; his blood was boiling.

"Sora!" Rosetta cried, wrapping her arms around her, "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Congratulations!" Someone called, and she was surrounded by a group of people all giver her their congrats and asking to feel her stomach even though she wasn't showing yet, if anything she looked thinner. She looked a little flustered but happy at the same time.

Leon had to look away.

"Aren't you going to say something?" Someone said from behind him. He turned and saw Ken Robbins behind him, headset around his neck and clipboard in hand.

"I have nothing to say." He said flatly, not looking at the ginger-blond as he said it.

"Isn't it you?" Ken asked innocently enough.

"What?" Leon wasn't following.

"The father?"

Leon could feel his face heat up and his chest constrict, like someone hat put a ton on his chest. "This has nothing to do with me." He said as evenly as he could. He turned and walked backstage, away from the happy crowd.

* * *

><p>"Hey." Leon heard one of the voices he least wanted to hear.<p>

"What do you want?" Leon barked.

"Whoa, take it easy," Andrew said with his hands up defensively, "Just wanted to talk."

"I have nothing to say to you." Leon said flatly, turning his back to the blond.

"I just wanted to know how you knew that Sora was in trouble that day" Andrew asked. "Were you with her, or what?"

"No I was not, I just happened to be there in time." Leon said, this wasn't any of Andrew's business, and he certainly could not find out about Fool, not if Leon didn't want to be thought of as a lunatic.

"I just don't ge-"

"What do you want?" Leon said sharply, turning to face Andrew, his eyes a stormy violet, his cheeks flushed. "Do you want congratulations? Do you want me to tell you you've won? What do you want from me?"

Andrew was taken back; he seemed almost shocked by Leon's outburst. "I don't know what you mean." He said like a child getting scolded.

"Isn't it you?" Leon asked accusingly. "Aren't you the one who did that to Sora?" His anger rose as he said it out loud.

"Wow, who's going to tell my girlfriend back in Santa Monica?" He said jokingly and Leon was on him.

* * *

><p>Over the next week Leon was still being watched to make sure he didn't start another fight, Andrew was given a few days off, he'd just brushed off the incident as the heat getting to them, he did however take the time to explain to Leon that he was not the father of Sora's child, which made Leon even more nervous. So it might not have been someone he knows.<p>

Sora had been hanging around the stage that week, trying to be of some help but nobody would let her do much in her condition, she had explained that she needed to keep her stress level low and tried to convince them that working would actually help, but after almost suffering a miscarriage, everyone was still a little apprehensive. Leon had barely made any contact with Sora over that week, he did not speak to her and she did not try to speak to him, but things were getting a little awkward between them, and he couldn't explain why this made him sad.

The closest they'd gotten was a few days after the incident with Andrew. Leon was emerging from his dressing room when he saw Sora carrying what looked like a rather large box. Why the hell were they letting her carry such a thing, didn't they know she was supposed to rest? I mean sure, Sora was still being very careful but she should know better than anybody else not to be lifting heavy things.

Now, Leon might have been considered a heartless guy, but you couldn't say he was evil enough to let a pregnant woman carry a box that she couldn't see over! He was a gentleman after all, most of the time. She had almost tripped when he caught her and the box, she turned to say thank you but trailed off when she saw it was him, blushing profusely and averting her eyes, she muttered a quiet "thank you" and moved to take the box back from him. Leon just held it out of her reach and asked, "Where is this going?"

"I can take it." She said reaching for it again, but Leon asked more sternly,

"Where is this going?"

And Sora told him and they went their separate ways.

* * *

><p>Sora had stayed behind a little longer than usual; the sky was beginning to darken quickly, but not because of the time, looking out the windows of the Kaleido Stage building, Sora could see the dark storm clouds rolling in and the rain start to spatter against the picture windows.<p>

She heard thunder just before the lights went out and the rain began pelting the windows like an array of bullets. She had better wait for the weather to let up a bit. She was alone in the dark building. This may seem odd, but Sora actually liked thunderstorms, she didn't like being stuck out in them, but just listening to the symphony of the rain and thunder seemed to relax her, except for that occasional loud burst that would even jump the bogeyman's bones.

So she sat and stared out the window, waiting for a chance to leave without getting pelted. She began humming to herself as she sat leaning against a wall in the lobby. She looked out the front door and saw a figure running in the distance, the image was blurry so she couldn't quite make out who the person was, but she guessed that whoever they were, they didn't get too far before the rain started and wanted to find refuge instead of catching a cold. Sora closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall, listening to the patter of the rain and imagined the patter of little feet that she would eventually hear on a daily basis in her own house.

She heard the door open and close again. Her fellow refugee's footsteps squeaked along the tile floor as he entered. Sora opened her eyes and nearly gasped. She was not expecting to see a god standing there before her.

Leon stood with his shirt plastered to his chest, soaked to the bone from the rain, his hair dripping on the floor. He saw Sora and looked surprised, but he schooled his features to become neutral, Sora wondered if he was still upset at her. She assumed yes when he took a seat at the opposite end of the wall. Sora remained silent, not wanting to disturb him. She tried to keep her eyes away, but her attempts were in vain, she couldn't help but stare at the being of physical perfection that stood sat before her, panting with his head leaning against the wall and his legs stretched out before him.

He sneezed. Sora almost laughed but that wouldn't have been to appropriate considering she was trying not to bother him. Then Sora began to think, sneezing and being cold and wet usually leads to a cold. She dug around in her purse for a minute before she found what she was looking for. She pulled out her handkerchief and walked over to Leon's end of the wall.

He looked up at her with a surprised look on his face as Sora held out the handkerchief. He just looked between her hand and her face.

"You don't want to catch a cold." She said, averting her eyes. Her voice sounded loud in the empty room. "I know it's not much, but it's better than nothing." He slowly reached up and took the cloth from her.

"Thank you." He said quietly. Sora turned to go back to her end of the wall. She felt him grab her hand, his was cold and damp, he looked at his hand like it had a mind of its own and quickly dropped it. Sora smiled to herself and sank down to the floor beside him. They sat in silence for what seemed like hours.

"I apologize." He said, breaking the silence. Sora was surprised.

"What for?" she questioned.

"I have treated you unfairly." He said quietly.

Sora smiled sadly. "I understand." She said. "It was quite a shock, but I never did thank you." She turned to him. "You saved my baby."

Leon felt like he'd been punched in the stomach at the word "baby." They lapsed back into an awkward silence. Leon got up the courage to ask, "Why didn't you say anything?"

Sora seemed taken aback by this. "What do you mean?" Her heart was pounding; she hoped he couldn't hear it.

"About the," he swallowed, "child."

"I didn't want anyone to know." She said. "At Least not yet. I needed to get my thoughts together."

"But," He couldn't quite figure out what he was trying to say.

"I didn't want anybody to hate me." Sora said quietly. "Especially not," you, she didn't quite know how to say that last part out loud.

"Does he know?" Leon asked.

"Who?"

"The father." Leon looked into her eyes; he could see the sadness in hers as she remained silent.

"No." She said, he knew that she was pregnant, but not that he was the father, she couldn't tell him.

"He needs to know." Leon said a little louder.

"I can't tell him." Sora said.

"Why?"

"Because he'll hate me."

"I'm sure he'd understand." Leon tried to console her.

"How can you be sure?"

"Well," Leon tried to find the right words.

Sora sighed. "What would you do if you found out you'd accidentally fathered a child?"

"I would take responsibility," Leon said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, "and marry the mother."

Sora had lost her breath; it took her a moment to gain it back. "Even if you were with someone else?" She asked with a thick voice.

"Even so," he replied, "I would do my duty as the father, even if it meant losing a relationship I was already in, the child should not only be the mother's burden. A child needs both parents in its life."

"But it wouldn't be a burden," Sora argued, "how can something so wonderful ever be a burden?" she said, looking down at her still flat stomach and placing a hand over it.

"That is not my point, but it would be extremely difficult to do alone, the father should know."

"I can't ruin his life like that." Sora whispered.

"He needs to know." Leon said firmly, "You cannot do this on your own."

"Yes I can," Sora said just as firmly, "And I will. He will never know." Sora stood up and began to walk away, Leon followed.

"You cannot just keep this a secret from him. It is not just your burden to bear." He said. She spun around to face him.

"Do you think I'm so weak that I can't do this?" She accused him, her blood pressure rising

"That is not what I was trying to say." He said defensively. "Don't you think it would be better if the child had a real family?"

"What, am I not family enough?" She said.

"You are not listening to what I am trying to say." He said stubbornly, "what if the father wants the child?"

"Why do you care so much?" Sora asked suddenly.

"B-because I," she didn't let him finish.

"This is none of your concern." She turned away from him again, he felt that blow hit home.

"Who is the father?" Leon asked, overstepping his boundaries.

Sora, still all fired up said "It's" you, she caught herself right before she said it. "It's none of your concern." She repeated.

"Is it so bad that you cannot tell me?" He raised his voice; he couldn't understand why he was so mad.

"Do not, yell at me." Sora said just as loudly.

"Why? Just because you are sleeping around means that I am to be left in the dark?" He knew he'd crossed the line.

Sora turned on him, she pulled back her hand and released it, the sound resonated in the room, Leon's face was a mask of shock, he didn't expect her to hit him, his hand was on his cheek where hers had just made contact. Her expression was full of hurt.

"Is that what you think of me?" She yelled, "This is why I didn't want to tell anyone." She said.

"Sora, I-" Leon began but Sora cut him off.

"This doesn't concern you." She repeated flatly. She turned and walked farther along the wall again. Leon reached out and grabbed her hand again, this time of his own accord.

"Let go," she said.

"No."

"Leon, I said Let go."

"I am not finished speaking to you." He said, trying to calm his voice but it still came out sounding like he was mad at her for something.

"Why do you care so much?" Sora yelled.

She was cut off by his lips suddenly on hers. He pushed her against the wall and tangled his hand in her hair. She could feel his hot breath; smell his lavender spice scent, now mixed with rain. Her dress was starting to get wet where his body was pressed against hers. His mouth was covering hers possessively; his tongue ran across her lower lip, almost like it was begging for entrance as she tried to breathe more of him in.

Her hands tangled in his hair as he pushed up harder against her, they were chest to chest, his hands were on her possessively as he had her trapped between him and the wall, she could feel his washboard abs beneath her fingers and his body heat slipping through their damp clothes.

Suddenly he pulled away and Sora could see his stormy violet eyes, the same eyes he had when they shared the dance at the wedding, desire burning deep through them. He turned and ran, he left the building, into the rain, heedless of the fact that it was still like a typhoon out there. Sora felt the cold air rush into the places where they were no longer touching.

Her mind was blank. Why? She thought. Her fingers went up to her lips which felt swollen. With her back still to the wall, she sank down to the floor; both hands went to her lips. Tears started to flow down her face. Her sobbing was drowned out by the downpour outside, fighting for dominance against her tears.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

It was hot. Why did it have to be so hot this early in the morning? May would have expected the weather to cool down with the rainstorm they had yesterday, hell, it was a borderline typhoon. She hoped that it wouldn't be too hot, that's why she had decided to take her jog at 5:30 that morning. She ran in nothing but a pair of coal shorts and a purple sports bra, she could feel her long black hair brush against her back which was damp with sweat.

She slowed down and paused for a minute, measuring her heart rate. It was relatively normal, a sign that her endurance was good. The sand on the beach was still wet from the rain that lasted through most of the night, she was lucky enough to have gotten home before the downpour. She could see the sand collecting on the sides of her sneakers and could feel a little inside one of her socks, this always happened when she ran on the beach; you'd think she'd learn.

She heard the soft sifting sound of footsteps in the sand. She guessed there was someone else who had decided to jog on that particularly hot and humid morning. She just stood, waiting for the other runner to overtake her. She could hear the steps getting closer.

Suddenly a pair of hands was on her and she felt a sudden pressure on her shoulders, she didn't have much of a chance to brace herself but at least she kept herself from falling into the damp sand as a shadow sailed over her. She straightened up and looked at the figure that had just vaulted over her.

She couldn't help but smile at Ken who was bowing for an imaginary crowd.

"What are you doing?" She asked, a small smile present.

"Well good morning to you too." He said sarcastically. "I thought you might want some company."

"At 5:30?" May asked incredulously, had he really gotten up that early just to go jogging with her.

"Well I didn't really have anything better to do, I guess." He said, trying to sound indifferent. May just laughed and started running again, passing him.

"Just try to keep up." She called behind her. Ken grinned as he assumed a track starting position. He chuckled as he took off, intending to make her eat her words.

* * *

><p>Sora watched from the production booth as the show progressed. It had been a few days since the typhoon-like storm. May was doing a good job as Christine and Rosetta was made for the part of Carlotta. She'd brought out her inner diva just perfectly; she had improved a lot on the trapeze since Sora had last seen her. She got a pretty good view of the stage from up in the booth, she watched curiously as the tech crew worked at the controls, the various knobs were turned as music was controlled and lights flashed.<p>

She turned her eyes back out the window in time to see May stand, Leon's arms around her, holding her like a lover. The view made Sora's chest ache, even though she knew it was only an act, she saw May reach up and remove Leon's mask, Leon turned his face away. May placed a soft caressing hand on his cheek and turned his face to hers. She moved her hand just enough for the audience to not be able to see that it was only a stage kiss, though Sora knew no contact was made, she could feel her heart drop and her lips tingled. She turned and walked out of the booth, her eyes stinging.

* * *

><p>Leon looked around after the show. She was gone. Leon couldn't help but notice that Sora had already left. He knew that she was there at the beginning of the show but never saw her leave, which was odd because no matter how hard he tried, he still struggled to keep his eyes off of her during the performance, but he couldn't help but occasionally glance up to the production booth between stunts. He hoped May hadn't noticed that he nearly dropped her halfway through.<p>

He was on nearly at his dressing room when he heard the whispering.

"I can't believe her of all people!" A nameless brunette who worked with the sets had said. She was whispering with Charlotte and Julie, who were so wrapped up in the gossip that they hadn't even noticed that Leon was right behind them.

"I know!" Charlotte said. "I can't believe that she would do that!" She said incredulously but Leon could tell she was enjoying every minute of this. "I know she's not dating anyone, maybe it was a one night stand?"

"No!" Julie gasped incredulously, not exactly in denial. "I mean, Sora of all people!" Leon walked closer, his face heating up, his shoulders tense, the nerve they had to gossip about Sora.

"I mean," the brunette butted in, "That has to be the only explanation, we all know that if she was dating someone she would have at least said something! Maybe we know the father!"

Leon was a few feet away now; he could feel his hair standing on end.

"Well, it can't be Leon," his chest grew cold and his heart dropped as he felt like he'd been hit in the stomach. "I mean he's been avoiding her like the plague since we all found out. He almost seemed mad, you know? I mean, if he was that close to her, wouldn't he be happy for her?"

"Maybe he was jealous." The brunette stated and they all burst out laughing, as if the notion that Leon Oswald, the "Grimm Reaper," had feelings was more preposterous than the Mad Hatter's tea party.

Leon could feel his hands cramp up from having them in fists for the duration of the conversation. He'd been leaning up against the wall. He cleared his throat.

The looks on their faces was completely priceless. They looked as though the "Grimm Reaper" had come to claim them next; they put horror movie actors to shame. Leon almost wanted to laugh, he found it sickly amusing, served them right for gossiping. They just stared at him like he was Medusa and had turned them to stone.

"Is there something you would like to say?" He said in mock friendliness, their faces visibly paled, as if it were possible, they knew he had heard them.

"Nope! Gotta run!" The brunette cried and like a ninja, she was gone, leaving Charlotte and Julie to suffer the wrath of the great Leon Oswald.

"We were just- we were-" they stammered, Leon just raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation. They just stared at him again.

"I suggest that if you want information that you take it up with the appropriate party." Their terrified expressions changed to confusion.

"Ask the person before gossiping about them." He clarified before walking into his dressing room. He couldn't believe they were judging Sora so harshly, as if she had planned for that all along, or like she was some kind of whore! He froze just inside the door. Hadn't he done the same?

* * *

><p>Sora hated waiting, she always felt like there could have been something better to do with her time, but she knew it was just because she couldn't sit still for more than five minutes without her head exploding, she'd admit it, she was a busybody, but her family was worth it. She was both excited and terrified to see them. She'd missed her family terribly, but how was she supposed to explain that she was 11 weeks pregnant and the father didn't even know the baby was his? Her stomach was already starting to grow a bit but not enough to make a huge impact on anybody, she just looked like she'd hit the dessert table a few too many times and her favorite restaurant.<p>

Frankly, she was terrified of having to face them, she was scared of having disappointed them when they'd been so selfless as to take her in and raise her as their own. She could feel her heart pounding in anticipation; she was excited in a way. She never would have expected to feel the way she did when she found out she was pregnant, her whole view had changed since the day before when she'd finally heard the little one's heartbeat for the first time at the doctor's. The light fluttering sound she heard made her own heart flutter in her chest and for the first time, she felt a sort of unconditional love for the little life growing within her, and she wanted her family to share this with her, she couldn't wait to actually be able to see the small life within her. She looked up and saw the familiar faces of her family, her mom and dad, and her sisters Yume and two-year-old Ayumi whose eyes just lit up with recognition as she saw her older sister. Sora's worries were moved to the back burner as the overwhelming happiness of seeing her family filled her, she smiled brightly and waved.

* * *

><p>Her family had been there for three days, they had gone to the beach, Ayumi loved to play in the sand and looked so cute with her water wings, Sora tried to teach Yume how to swim and their parents just lounged around on the sand. They hadn't asked Sora why she wasn't working but she could tell they were thinking it, she hadn't found the right time to tell them yet, she didn't the first day because she wanted them to get settled in and what not, and over the two days following they had been so busy shopping and going to the beach and the boardwalk and whatnot, honestly she was having more fun than she'd had in a while; this visit was just what she needed.<p>

"Onee-chan!" Yume called after they had decided to help Ayumi burry their father in the sand, the only thing they could see now was his head.

"Hm?" Sora turned to her younger sister. Ayumi was trying to feed her Papa some sand, and he seemed to be losing the fight.

"Can we get some ice-cream?" She asked. Ayumi started jumping up and down at the sound of ice-cream, but, still only being a toddler fell on her bum and started playing in the sand again, singing "Ice-cream, Ice-cream."

Sora laughed, "Okay," her sisters hadn't left her side since they'd arrived, they even spent the night with her at her apartment while their parents stayed at a nearby hotel, Sora didn't mind at all and was sure that their parents could use a little break, "but we need to dig up Papa first, okay?"

"Hai!" Yume cried as she started to dig her father out with a small plastic shovel. Ayumi took off in the other direction, Sora chased after her.

* * *

><p>The weather in September was still hot in Cape Mary, California. The ocean breeze tugged playfully through Leon's long silver-white hair as he sat at an outdoor café. He was getting annoyed with it blowing in his face and looked around for something to tie it with, but to no avail, so he partially braided it, hoping it would stay for at least a little while.<p>

He looked out to the beach; there were many families out that day because of the beautiful weather. Lately he had taken an interest in the families around, but he couldn't really explain why, maybe it had something to do with her…

He tried to shake his thoughts away, but ever since the night of the storm, no, long before that, he couldn't get her out of his head, he'd never felt that way before, his mind was a mess.

Through unfocused eyes he caught a familiar shock of purple hair in the distance. He looked more closely and saw that it was in fact Sora, funny how she just appeared when he thought about her. She was with two small children and a middle aged Japanese couple; he hadn't known her family had come to visit. She looked happy, she hadn't looked that happy in a long time, but who was he to judge.

He watched as she held her younger sisters' hands smiling and walking along the beach, he just watched, he couldn't stop looking at her. He couldn't believe that one day she would have a child of her own and walk happily along the beach like that.

He imagined her with a small fair haired child with her eyes walking happily along the beach, but there was a third person walking with them, a tall man holding her other hand. They walked barefoot with the small child running ahead, then the child turned a while and gave a dazzling smile, and was it wrong that, for just a second, Leon imagined that he was the one holding her hand?

He shook his head, he needed to get a grip on himself, it could never be him; she was having another man's baby, but he had never seen her with another man. Maybe he needed to look at her through different eyes than the judgmental ones he was now ashamed of; he had been no better than those gossipers at the stage. He needed to look deeper into the situation, to really _see_ her for her.

* * *

><p>"Okay, now what you do is you take this penny and you throw it in the fountain and make a wish." Sora was explaining to Yume, who wanted to know how to work the wishing fountain. They had left the beach and gotten their ice cream. "Now go."<p>

"Hai! You too Papa!" She cried, pulling his hand. Sora sat on one of the benches with her mother. Her mom had smile lines in her face, and her hair was beginning to grey a little in some places, but Sora thought she was beautiful either way. Sora could only smile; she'd missed her family so much that she didn't want them to leave the following week.

"You seem very happy here." Her mom stated, and she knew it was the truth, she knew she could never convince Sora to go back to Japan ever since she'd seen her perform on the stage for the first time. As she watched her adopted daughter soar through the lights and fly through the air as though she weighed nothing.

"I am mom, but you have no idea how much I've missed you." Her eyes started to tear up, stupid hormones! Her mom put an arm around her and kissed her forehead.

"What's been bothering you?"

Sora quickly pulled away. "What makes you think there's something wrong?" She couldn't meet her eyes.

"I'm your mother, I know when you're trying to hide something…" she looked into Sora's eyes, Sora felt like she was reading her like a book. "Why haven't you been working? And don't give me some excuse that you took time off to visit with us; you haven't gone to the Stage once."

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Sora could hear Yume telling her dad he was doing the wishing fountain thing wrong and Ayumi was trying to splash in the water. Sora's mom placed a hand on hers; Sora brought her eyes back to meet her mother's. "You can tell me." She urged.

Sora took a deep breath. She looked into her Mom's eyes and felt her chest go numb; she moved closer and whispered in her mother's ear.

Her mom was silent, she didn't even breath. Sora's heart was pounding; she was terrified of what she would say. Slowly, her mom turned to look at her, her eyes shining, a shaky hand moved to Sora's abdomen. Tears started to flow from her eyes.

"Really?" She asked, a smile spreading across her face. Sora smiled back and only nodded, tears now flowing from her eyes.

Her mom screamed and pulled her into a hug, pulling her to stand and did some kind of little happy dance. Sora felt as though a thousand pound rock had been taken from her shoulders.

Her dad and sisters chose that moment to return from the fountain.

"Mommy, why are you and one-san crying?" Yume asked innocently, her mom could only laugh.

* * *

><p>Needless to say, Sora's parents were thrilled, well, her mom was anyway, her dad seemed a little apprehensive, but that was mostly due to the fact that she wasn't married (he was kind of old fashioned) and he hadn't met the man who'd fathered the child, but little did he know that he already had. Sora didn't want to tell them that Leon was the father of her baby, and that didn't blow over too well with them. Over the next few days her family would not let up, they kept asking her who the father was, thought she still didn't want to tell them.<p>

"Is it so horribly that you can't trust us?" Her mom had asked as they walked down the street, the sun was blazing, they left tomorrow.

"Mom, it's not that," she tried to defend herself, "It's very complicated, I'll need you to trust me on this one," her dad and sisters were a little ways ahead of them, out of earshot.

"Does he know?" she asked. Sora was taken completely off guard; she stopped dead in her tracks, eyes staring at a spot on the ground. "Sora, does the father know?" she asked a little more sternly.

"In a sense."

"Sora!"

"Mom! I can't tell him!" tears started to form in her eyes. "I can't ruin his life like this, I just can't."

"Sora, how can this be ruining his life? This baby is not just your responsibility."

"I can't have him hate me." She whispered, barely audible, but her mother heard.

"If he loves you-"

Sora cut her off, "But he doesn't, mom, please just trust me on this." Sora pleaded. She finally looked into her mom's eyes. "Please."

Her mom must have understood or seen how serious Sora actually was because her face softened and she replied "I understand. But if things start getting ugly, you'll need help, it won't be easy, doing this on your own."

"I know." Sora responded. "But I'm ready." But she was also terrified; would she really be a good mother?

"Mommy look!" Yume cried, the Kaleido Stage building was in view. "Can we go?"

"Sweetie, there's no show today." Her mom answered.

Sora had calmed down; sometimes the mood swings seemed to come in handy. "We can still go in, there should be rehearsals going on right now. You guys couldn't catch a show so why not watch rehearsal a bit?" Sora loved the stage enough that, to her, just watching a rehearsal was enough.

"Yay!" Yume and Ayumi cried, though Ayumi was mostly because her sister seemed so excited, she didn't want to feel left out.

"But we don't want to disturb anyone." Their father spoke up.

"It'll be fine, I'll handle it." Sora said.

* * *

><p>Sora's co-workers were so excited to see such cute kids that not-disturbing practice was impossible. Sora just stood aside and watched as the girls fawned over how adorable her little sisters were, being amazed at how well they spoke English and whatnot. The guys kind of stood aside, not really paying much attention but using this time to take a well-deserved break<p>

"So the family's been here, huh?" May said, walking up behind Sora, Ken was nowhere to be found.

"Yeah, that's why I haven't been here." She turned and looked at her, "Did I miss much?"

"Not really," she shrugged, "Rosetta's been doing great, Marion almost fell off the trampoline though," she paused for a second, "Do they know?" she finally asked.

"Yeah," she smiled a little to herself, "Mom was excited, she never would have imagined becoming a grandma in her forties." She avoided the topic of the father all together, and was thankful when May didn't pry. Sora heard a grunt from above her, she looked up in time to see Leon perform a flawless twisted layout. She lost her breath, she'd never get over the beauty of his form.

She caught his eye and he gave a slight wave, sending a shock through Sora's system. She hadn't spoken to him since the night of the typhoon, so she wasn't quite sure how to react, and the fact that he dropped down to the net and walked in her direction. Her heart started racing as she entered panic mode; how should she act? She could still vividly remember the feeling of his soft lips possessively taking hers and the heat of his breath on her face, she could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks, _breathe _ she willed herself as he got closer.

"Sora!" One of the stage hands called from near her younger sisters.

"Yes?" she answered

The young girl seemed to be fighting something, almost like she was nervous. "I was just wondering, will we get to meet this mystery man of yours?"

Sora blanched. "I'm sorry but that won't be possible." She paused for a second, trying to swallow down the anxiety that was swelling within her chest. She could feel her nose prickle and prayed to god she wouldn't start crying, not there with all those people watching her. She forced a smile. "The father is not in the picture." She said softly, thankful her voice didn't break, but the silence that followed was deafening. She wished they would stop staring at her like she was some kind of animal in a zoo.

"Onee-chan!" she heard a call, saved by her sister.

"Hai!" she turned and out of the corner of her eye spotted Leon a few feet away from her. Yume ran up to her, Ayumi toddled behind, grabbing onto her leg.

"Nee-chan! I want to try like you!" she yelled pointing to the swing. "Can you take me?" she asked

Sora wasn't sure how to answer. Yume knew she was going to be an auntie, but didn't quite understand that Sora couldn't really do certain things with the baby. She'd always told her sister that she'd take her up when she came to visit and the 5-year-old didn't forget.

Sora knelt down, aware of the eyes on her as the cast watched her. As soon as she was eye-to-eye with Yume, she said as evenly as she could, "I can't today, Yume," her voice caught a little, "Remember about the baby?" she asked.

"The baby will have fun too!" she said, not quite understanding.

"Yume, the baby could get hurt, so Onee-san can't go swinging until the baby comes out. Gomen." She tried to explain, blushing furiously as she saw Leon from the corner of her eye. She could see tears forming in Yume's eyes, her heart nearly stopped; she'd broken a promise to her 5-year-old sister. The tears started to flow down Yume's face. Sora looked around, panicking, she hated when children cried. She pulled Yume into a hug.

There was whispering around her. She hated being the center of attention like this. Their mom came up and held out her hands for Yume.

"Maybe next time," she said, trying to get Yume to understand when Sora heard an unexpected voice.

"May I?" he asked. Sora turned to see Leon holding out a hand, "With your permission of course," he added, indicating Sora's mom.

"Of course." She smiled, she knew that Leon would be extremely careful.

He held out his hand to Yume who hid behind Sora's legs; she was a little scared of Leon, but that was understandable, even adults were nervous around him.

"It's okay," Sora said, "This Onii-san will take good care of you." She urged, stepping aside. Yume looked up nervously, "Go on," Sora repeated and Yume slowly took Leon's hand which engulfed hers. Everyone was staring in complete silence, they never would have imagined Leon interacting with a child, especially not being this gentle. He led her to a trampoline and lifted her into his arms, holding her princess style.

"I'll need you to hold on tight." The Frenchman said as Yume wrapped her small arms around his neck. When he was sure she was holding tight enough, he began to jump, slowly at first then gradually going higher and higher until he was almost in line with the swings. He adjusted one arm so it was cradling Yume and he reached up with the other arm to grab a swing, Sora's hands were clenched tightly, she hoped he wouldn't do anything too drastic with her, she was only five after all and had never been that high.

He swung forward and let go, the sound that Sora heard astonished her, she heard a giggle from Yume, but that wasn't what shocked her, what shocked her was the deep chuckle that came from Leon! Leon, the "Grim-reaper," was laughing!

Sora watched in astonishment as he flew through the air, her little sister in his arms. After a few minutes of flying, he slowly let them slow down until the swing nearly stopped and let go, he wrapped both arms around Yume and they fell into the net. Yume would not stop laughing and Sora was dazzled by the smile on Leon's face. He got off the net with Yume still in his arms, her arms tight around his neck, she was hugging him! She pulled away slightly then brought her lips to his cheek. Leon looked a little shocked, but then cracked a dazzling smile yet again. Leon lowered her to the ground and she ran back to Sora and her parents.

"That was awesome!" She screamed and everybody laughed.

"Thank you, onii-san!" She called back to Leon, but his eyes were only on Sora, who couldn't stop staring back into those stormy violet eyes, the same eyes as that night, unaware of everyone else around her.

* * *

><p>"I wish you could've stayed longer." Sora said through her mom's hair, her eyes teary; she hated saying goodbye.<p>

"I know, I wish I could too…" her mom was teary too. She pulled back and gave a small laugh, you know, the kind when you're laughing at yourself for crying. Sora then went and hugged her dad goodbye.

"I'll miss you." She whispered.

"I'll miss you too, sweetheart." He said, kissing her forehead. "Take care, and if the father ever gives you trouble you just let me know, I'll swim across the Pacific if I have to!" Sora laughed. "Take care of yourself." Sora hadn't told them about the near miscarriage, there was no need to worry them more than necessary.

"Bye-bye, onee-chan." Yume was crying, Ayumi was still a little too young to understand what was happening, but she never said no to a hug from her big sister Sora.

"Bye-bye." Sora said into her neck, Yume and Ayumi both kissed her on the cheek.

"Sora, one more thing." Her mom called her over, just out of earshot of the others, Ayumi had tried to follow, but their dad distracted the younger girls by pointing out the planes taking off.

"Yes?" Sora's mom pulled her into another tight hug.

"He'll make a good father." She whispered

Sora blanched. "What?"

"The tall one with the white hair." She clarified. "I know it's him…"

"I-I, But, you see-" Sora stammered, not really sure what to say anymore.

Her mom smiled. "I could see the way you looked at him," her eyes shone warmly, "it's the way I looked at your dad when we first got together, you look at him like he's the sun itself." Sora's face turned about five different shades of red. She didn't realize that someone else had actually seen it, who else had noticed?

"Attention all passengers, we are now boarding Flight 237 to Narita Airport." A voice called over the intercom.

"That's us," Sora's mom said, she bent down so she was eye level with Sora's slightly swollen stomach. "I can't wait to meet you, come out soon." She said lightly. Sora laughed and tears rolled down her face. She gave her family one last hug before they passed the gate.

Her mom turned around. "Oh! One more thing!" she called. "I saw the way he looks at you, Sora…" the rest was drowned out by the sound of the other passengers, but judging by her mom's expression, she liked what she saw. Sora's heart nearly stopped, Leon was looking at her? He didn't hate her? She could feel her cheeks begin to glow, a smile creeped onto her face. She felt as light as air as she waved her family goodbye.

* * *

><p>Sora was humming to herself, she was elated and couldn't help it, she felt as though a 10,000 pound weight had been taken off her chest. Her nausea had settled down considerably over the week that her family had come to visit also. she was still sad that they had to leave the day before, but at least she knew that Leon didn't hate her, her mom was an expert at reading people, even those with a stone made poker face. She was still humming as she folded old costumes to be put into storage, everyone else was in rehearsal, or so she thought.<p>

"Why are you so happy?"

Sora jumped, she was so out of it that she never heard May come in behind her.

"M-May!" Sora gasped, her hand on her chest. "I thought you guys were in rehearsal."

"We're on break." She said as she leaned against the door. "What's up?"

"Nothing." Sora smiled. "Just feeling good is all."

"Why don't you come out with us? It's kina lonely in here," she offered.

"Sure, I kind of want to see Rosetta in action, I missed her part in the last show." She folded the last costume and put it in the box.

People were standing around, leaning against walls, laying on the floor and the like; seems like Cathy was being a slave-driver as always. She saw Leon leaning against the far wall, speaking to Ken. She started to walk in his direction, maybe now was the time to talk to him, about what, she didn't know yet, but she suddenly felt compelled just to be near him.

She caught his eye and the side of his mouth twitched almost unperceptively, he waved. She began to walk in his direction when there was a small commotion behind her. She paused and turned around to see the platinum bombshell that was known as Annette St. Claire; she was back.

"Hello!" she called out to everyone.

"How was L.A.?" Someone asked.

"It was lovely!" she answered in her thick French accent. "_Tres magnifique!_"

Sora had noticed that Annette had been gone for a little while, but didn't really think much of it. She walked over to greet her. Someone gasped in a way that sounded very familiar.

"Shut up!" someone nearly screamed. "Jade look at this!" she called her friend over and suddenly there was a crowd around her.

"Oh my god!" Someone exclaimed.

"It's gorgeous!"

Sora walked over to the group surrounding Annette. She had to push a little just to get a look at what all the commotion was about. The only thing she saw was the shining rock glaring at her from Annette St. Claire's left ring finger. _Oh my god!_ She thought, her mouth went dry and her blood froze in her veins. She had nearly forgotten whom Annette was dating, and yet she was still thinking about him constantly, even though she knew he was unavailable, what was she thinking? It must have happened before she left, but why did he kiss her like that?

Her head was pounding and suddenly she felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room. How could she have forgotten. She could feel her throat block and her nose start to prickle; she needed to get out of there fast. As calmly as she could master, Sora walked out of the room and as soon as she got out to the hall, broke into a dead run, tears flowing down her face. Was that kiss just that last fling before the final commitment? How could he do something like that? Especially to a friend? She was so confused but there was one thing she knew now more than ever. Now she knew that it was more impossible than ever, that even though he was the father of her baby, they still could not be together.

Leon had proposed.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's note: **I'm sorry for the delay. i know i'm always making excuses, i'm awful i know but i hope the chapter will make up for it. finals suck, but i'll have more free time now. enjoy!

Chapter 15

"Congratulations!" Leon kept hearing over and over as he watched Sora leave the room. For some reason, he felt very uneasy as the commotion continued and he looked into the empty doorway. He looked toward the group of people and saw Annette at the center, grabbing all of the attention yet again, but that was one of the interesting things about her.

Leon wondered why Sora had just walked out, not saying a word; it wasn't like her. He began walking toward the door, but then paused for a second, wondering why his chest hurt and he felt so uneasy about her leaving; his legs seemed to be moving on their own.

"Leon!" He heard in a thick French accent right before he was nearly tackled by an ecstatic Annette.

* * *

><p>Annette could not stop grinning as she sat across the table from Leon at her favorite café. Leon wouldn't be surprised if her eyes showed in the dark from how bright they were. She was completely on cloud nine and would even randomly start giggling; Leon was sure people were questioning her sanity, but hey, she was excited and now had a wedding to plan.<p>

"Annette," Leon began, her grin was contagious, "People are staring."

"_Je suis tellement excité quand même! Il m'a finalement demandé!"_ she was so happy she reverted back to French.

"I know, it's about time Pierre proposed," Leon said with a smirk. Pierre Demerchant had been Leon's best friend since they were children, he even kept in contact with Leon after becoming a successful actor, the three of them had been friends for as long as Leon could remember and it seemed like Pierre and Annette had been together for just as long. He was happy for his friends.

"Any idea when you want to have the wedding?" Leon asked.

"Perhaps in the spring, when ze flowers are blooming; it will be _tres _romantic." She got an airy look in her eyes and she began to stare off into space, no doubt imagining her big day.

"Where?" He asked, trying to keep her attention.

"_Paris!"_ she exclaimed, super excited yet again. "Oh Leon! Pierre wanted to ask; won't you be the best man?"

Leon gave a genuine smile, "Of course."

* * *

><p><em>I can't keep doing this,<em> Sora thought as she looked at herself in the mirror the next morning. _I need to be strong, for the baby, it's not the end of the world,_ she thought, but why did her chest still hurt? Her eyes looked a little swollen, she looked at her watch, 7:46, she still had time before going to the stage for duty, she soaked a washcloth in cold water and went to lie down, eyes covered.

She removed the washcloth and looked at the clock, 8:15, might as well get ready, and she started her daShe had her hands on her slightly swollen belly and wondered when she would start feeling the baby kick. She couldn't wait to start making a nursery; hopefully she had enough room in her apartment, if not she'd need to move. What colors should she choose? She didn't know whether the baby was going to be a boy or a girl, but then again she did love surprises… most of the time. Maybe she'd go with light green and chocolate brown, those were nice colors; Sora couldn't help but smile to herself, she was getting excited, so this is how Ava felt? Maybe Sora should go visit.y a little brighter than she would have.

* * *

><p>"Sora?" Cathy called into her walkie talkie; Ken passed his over to Sora.<p>

"Yes?" Sora answered from in the production booth. She could see things that needed to be fixed from a new vantage point.

"Can you go down to wardrobe and pick up Leon's cape and bring it to his dressing room?" His cape got caught on the tightrope the day before; luckily he was able to untie it without people noticing.

"Sure!" she called as she turned to leave the room.

She held the garment bag over one arm as she walked down the hall to the dressing rooms. She passed by the room that was once hers, but was now being occupied by May. She wished she could still perform, but there were more important things, she'd decided. Unknowingly, the baby had become a huge part of Sora's life, and she'd only heard its heartbeat, and somehow she knew it would all be worth it in the end.

She finally got to the door to Leon's room. Assuming he was already at rehearsal, she gave a quick knock and just walked in. She dropped the garment bag almost as soon as the door swung shut. Her face felt like it was on fire and she couldn't take her eyes away, she felt like a statue.

There stood a god right before her. The strong corded arms, washboard abs, the long fingers she pictured hers being intertwined with, then he turned on her with his stormy violet eyes and seemed surprised to see her.

"Oh. Hello." He said as he pulled on his practice shirt.

Sora was shaken out of her stupor by his voice. She quickly averted her eyes, hoping he wouldn't notice the shade of red rapidly spreading across her cheeks. She bent to pick up the bag. "H-hello," she stammered, still not looking at him directly. "Cathy asked me to bring this, sorry I just came in, I thought you were already at rehearsals," she left off.

"It is alright." He said, reaching for the garment bag.

"Here." She said as she handed it to him.

"Thank you." There was a silence as Sora's eyes met his. He gave her a soft smile. She could feel her cheeks heating up. Sora was shocked, but couldn't help but return the gesture, for a moment she had forgotten about Annette and her smile was genuine. She looked away a little shyly; she began to fiddle with her charm bracelet.

"Good luck tonight." She said sweetly and turned to leave, feeling light as air.

Leon just stood there, a little confused, he finally remembered where the bracelet had come from, but how had she gotten it out of his apartment? Had Fool recognized it was hers and brought it to her? That was the only explanation he could think of.

* * *

><p>Two weeks later; Sora had it bad, she couldn't stop thinking about Leon, it was even worse than usual. She couldn't walk down the street without seeing him out of the corner of her eye, she couldn't speak to anyone without hearing his voice, and she couldn't sleep without dreaming of his arms around her, his fingers intertwined through hers, those same hands, holding her child, no, their child, and the smile that melted her heart at just a thought. She couldn't concentrate! She'd told Fool she needed some time alone, and he'd said he would stay with Rosetta for a bit, the poor girl, but Sora didn't think she'd be able to handle having anyone around, not even a spirit.<p>

It made almost 3 times that she'd been asked to go retrieve something from the storage room and by the time she got there, her mind had wandered to Leon to the extent that she forgot what she had gone for! Her heart skips a beat at just the mention of his name, but then she remembers Annette. Now Sora had realized before that she can't find it in herself to hate Annette, she had never done anything to Sora, in fact she'd always been extremely nice and even showed signs of wanting to be friends, which Sora couldn't exactly say she would have disliked.

Sora was still lost in thought when she came across a familiar smell as she walked down the street in the still warm mid-September air. The familiar laughter ran like a bell as a sweet floral scent filled her nose. She turned and saw a sign that read "In Full Bloom." The building itself was a soft Ivory color and stood two stories tall, there was ivy growing up the sides, fitting for a flower shop. There were pots hanging from the awning in the front of the building, flowers in all colors filling them. She remembered Ava saying something about owning a flower shop in the area, could this be it? She decided to have a look.

The inside of the shop was even more beautiful than the outside, with crystal glass fixtures hanging from the ceilings and flowers of nearly every variety seemed to be growing from the walls themselves, but that could be because of the vines painted on the walls, the sweet smell put Sora at ease.

She noticed a young man standing behind the counter. He wore an apron with a pair of shears hanging from one of the pockets, ribbons hanging from another. He had shoulder length chestnut hair that was pulled back into a short ponytail; he had short stubble along his jaw and looked like he couldn't be more than 27 years old. He was arranging a bouquet when the breeze blew in through the open door and rang the wind chimes; Sora guessed that he was the owner. He noticed her and smiled a friendly kind of smile that puts one at ease.

"Can I help you?" His low smooth voice asked as his tawny eyes met hers.

"Oh, thank you but I'm just looking." Sora smiled back, observing the different arrangements around the shop.

"Grant?" a voice called from the back room. "Did you bring the vases in from upstairs?" a young woman said as she walking into the room. Sora turned because she recognized the voice.

"Yes, dear." He said in a joking tone. Sora could see the way his eyes shone when he looked at Ava; this must have been her husband. Ava wore a matching apron and her auburn hair was piled on her head and held in place with a pen.

"You have a lovely shop." Sora said, grabbing Ava's attention.

"Sora!" Ava practically skipped over and gave her a hug, her belly kind of pushing her away at the same time. "It's so nice to see you!" She turned to the young man behind the counter. "Grant!" she called. "This is my friend Sora Naegino; you know the one from Kaleido Stage? Sora, this is my husband Grant."

"A pleasure to meet you." Grant said, walking over with is hand outstretched.

Sora shook it, "the pleasure is all mine." She replied, his hands were slightly calloused from working with the flowers.

"I've heard so much about you." He said, "Your shows are amazing, I don't think Ava and I have missed a single production yet."

"Oh, thank you," Sora blushed, "But it's not all me." She replied humbly.

"OH!" Ava suddenly cried, effectively causing Sora to jump. "You need to see the greenhouse!" she practically jumped up and down like a child. She began to pull Sora toward the back of the shop. "Okay, now close your eyes!" She said quickly before they went out a door at the end of a short hallway.

"Fine." Sora laughed, closing her eyes, she heard the door creak open and her nose was assaulted by the sweet smell of flowers and fresh life.

Sora could feel the warm and slightly sticky sweet air.

"Okay, you can open them now!" She heard Ava call excitedly from a few feet away.

Sora opened her eyes and suddenly her breath was taken away. The first thing she noticed was how bright everything looked, but that might have just been the colors glowing in the sunlight streaming in through the glass roof. She saw some hanging pots but most things just grew from bushes in long troughs. The blooms shown with dew from being recently watered, there were various reds, pinks, oranges, violets, blues, any color you could imagine. Sora could see flowers ranging from lilies to roses to azaleas to flowers she couldn't even name.

"Oh, my…" Sora just trailed off, she had never seen a place so beautiful as the green house with vines growing up the walls.

"I know." Ava said. "This is my favorite place in the whole world, Grant built it for me." She seemed lost in thought as she gently fingered the silky bud of a young rose. "You know," she began after a moment of silence, "flowers have their own language?"

"Really?" Sora asked, intrigued.

"Yeah, each flower means something in its own, even the color can change the meaning." She walked to a bush sprouting white orchids. "An orchid stands for beauty and refinement," she took the shears from her pocket and cut one, passing it to Sora, then walked to a group of orange lilies, "Orange lilies stand for pride," she cut one and handed it to Sora. "Peach blossoms stand for generosity, and pear blossoms can be used to say 'get well soon' since they mean health." She cut some for Sora and handed them over, "Sweet Basil says 'good luck,'" she continued on, stopping before a rosebush, decked with amazing deep red roses the color of blood. "And roses," she smiled, mostly to herself, she touched the petals with such delicacy that Sora thought that she was afraid hurt it, "red roses say 'I love you," she smiled, looking at the bud like a long lost friend.

"You know," she said after they had admired the roses for a few minutes, "this whole thing, this place, this is how Grant proposed to me." She smiled.

"How did he do it?" Sora was genuinely curious.

"Well, we were sweethearts, together all through high school, he knew I've always loved flowers ever since I was a little girl. I never realized he had bought this house while we were dating, and while I thought he was just working overtime, he had been building this," she stretched her arms above her head and turned a circle, huge smile on her face. "We went out to dinner on our anniversary, and when we left the restaurant, he wrapped a bandana around my eyes," she laughed, "he actually blindfolded me. Well, he began to lead me around, and I had no clue where he was taking me, but I just went along with it, you know, thinking it was some kind of game." Sora was really enjoying the story.

"Anyway, he led me here, and took off my blindfold and we were in this beautiful flower shop, with vines growing on the walls, and every kind of flower imaginable, I was amazed. He led me in the back and to this one door. 'Close your eyes' he said and lead me in, when I opened them I almost cried, I had never seen such a beautiful greenhouse, I turned and he was down on one knee, a rose in his hand. I took it and smelled it, I think it was the sweetest flower I'd ever smelt, and I noticed something shining in the middle of it, when I spread the petals, there was a black gold band shaped like vines with an emerald at the center. 'I love you, Ava,' he said, 'and I built this for you, you are the most important thing in my life, and I want you and only you forever,' he said and stood up and took my hand, 'Marry me?' he asked, and the rest is history." Her eyes were shining with the memory of the story.

"That's so romantic!" Sora cried happily, wishing she could have someone like that, her mind wandered to a certain someone with long silver hair.

"Hey, do you want to help me make some arrangements?" She began cutting roses from the bush and placing them in a basket on the floor. She picked it up and moved over to another bush.

"Sure!"

* * *

><p>He was just staring into space, at least that's what it looked like, but you and I both know that his thoughts were on a certain Japanese acrobat, one that seemed so far out of his reach. He knew that he couldn't have her, but that didn't stop his mind from ceaselessly wandering back to her, no matter how hard he tried.<p>

"Leon!" Annette called from across the table, they were having dinner that night at a French restaurant, they decided to try it out, feeling nostalgic. He shook himself from his thoughts, almost like he'd suddenly been woken up.

"Hm?"

"It is three times I called your name!" She said incredulously, she couldn't believe he'd zoned out like that, she'd never seen him like this before. "Am I not entertaining enough?" She asked.

"No, you are fine," he replied, taking a quick look around the room, he'd noticed many people staring, mostly men watched Annette, but what else would be expected from a former model. He also noticed the women swooning over him, but remained indifferent, they were just shallow people who only saw what was skin deep, whereas Sora, she didn't like him to begin with, but he began to care greatly, knowing that she was not one to judge by appearance.

Annette laughed. "You are thinking of her again!" She had that familiar mischievous glint in her eye,.

Leon's indifferent expression quickly changed to one of shock, she hit the nail right on the head. "N-no!" He stammered.

"Yes!" She laughed, people began to stare, "I knew it! I've never seen you so infatuated."

"Such big words for one who has only just learned English." He replied, now he was grinning, thinking he got something.

"Don't change ze subject!" She cried. She reached across the table and placed her hand over his, her expression softened. "Leon," she said softly, "You know you can tell me, I've known you since we were children."

"There is nothing to tell." He said, looking away, he suddenly couldn't meet her eyes.

She turned his face back to her, "Leon." She said softly. "It's okay." Maybe it was the soft look in her eyes, almost as if she could see right through him, or maybe it was just the soft timber of her voice that reminded him of their childhood that made him think.

_What am I doing?_ Leon thought to himself. He knew there was something going on, but couldn't explain what, he'd never felt that way before. He always thought of her, he saw her everywhere he went, she was in his dreams and he could swear he'd here her just around every corner. He was lying to himself, and if there was anything he hated more than shallowness, it was liars.

He took a deep breath. "I can't stop thinking about her." He began. "I see her everywhere, I hear her when she's not there, my chest hurts when she's gone, my chest hurts when she avoids me, I feel like I cannot breathe. I dream of her, and only think of the next time I may see her again. I don't know what to do anymore, it's like she is taking over my mind without even doing anything out of the ordinary. It hurts to be around her, and it hurts to be away, sometimes I think her voice is the most beautiful sound in the world, but other times I think she may be the instrument to my demise, I feel lost all the time until she comes in the room, then there is nothing but her, I've never felt this way before."

Annette just looked at him, she'd mastered a poker face just as much as he had. She squeezed his hand. And smiled. "_L'amour_." She said simply, her face softening into a lovely smile.

"_Excuse?_" he said blankly.

Annette drew her hand back and laughed. "Leon, you are a smart man, do I need to spell it out for you? "You are in love with ze girl."

Leon's face went blank. "What?"

"You love her!" She laughed like a madwoman whose made the greatest discovery since Columbus Discovered America.

"How can that be?" he whispered. "I am often in pain."

"But that is when she is not around, no?" She asked, then continued before Leon could speak again. "You say it hurts when she is gone, when she is near, but when she is near it hurts because you feel like you should not or cannot be close to her. You dream of her and think of her constantly, Leon, that is love." She said simply.

Love? That's what this was? Love? How could it be? He could feel the cold grip of anxiety crushing the air from his lungs. He felt numb. He was in love? How could that be?

Annette watched as he started staring off into space, obviously thinking of her, he was in shock; it was so cute!

"Leon." She said, he didn't hear her, his thoughts too far gone. "Leon!" He turned quickly, almost like he'd forgotten she was there. "You were staring again."

"H-how-what-I…" Leon was unsure of what to say.

"There is no explanation for zis Leon, if I knew, I would be a very rich woman," she laughed a little.

"But she's having a baby, let alone that of another man." He said, a hint of despair in his voice.

"Leon, you heard her say it before, he is not involved, she is alone in raising this child."

"But this can't be right."

"Leon, love needs no reason to strike, nor does it follow rules. You are in love with ze girl, there is no use denying it." She said simply.

Leon just looked at her, but Annette could see the blank look in his eyes. He was in love with Sora. He was in love with a beautiful, talented, sweet, all around amazing woman, yet why did he feel like he could never have her? He didn't deserve her.

Annette broke in jus then. "Zis is what you need to do." Leon could tell by the tone of her voice and the glint in her eye that he was not going to win this argument.

* * *

><p>"Okay, I think that's enough, I need to go." May called from the net the following afternoon. She and Ken had been practicing for nearly three hours and she had dinner plans with Layla.<p>

"Okay, but I'm going to stay." He called from up in the swings.

"See you tomorrow, Love you!" He called as he let go and flew to the other swing.

"Love you too!" she replied as she walked out the door and nearly bumped into a very tall redhead and causing her to drop a few books on the floor.

"Sorry!" May said as she helped Rosetta pick up her books, among them was Pride and Prejudice.

"It's okay, I should have been paying attention, maybe reading and walking isn't such a good combination," she laughed a little. May handed her the book.

"Hope you didn't lose your page, is it good?" May had never read it but she'd wanted to.

"It's amazing!" Her eyes lit up. "Darcy loves Elizabeth but he's very proud and she has issues with rich people and thinks he's just a horrible person, but now she's starting to see just what kind of person he really is! It's all so romantic, especially when they dance! Oh, I wish Darcy was a real person!"

"You're young, I'm sure you'll find someone in no time." May said.

"Look at you, speaking like an old married woman." She giggled. She looked at her watch. "I've got to go, see you later." She called as she made her way down the hall.

"Okay, bye!" She waved. She'd passed Leon's dressing room on the way to hers, he'd left a little early that day, saying he had some errands to run, may thought it was a little odd but didn't question it. She passed by Sora's dressing room which she was temporarily using while Rosetta was in hers, it seemed a little odd that Rosetta didn't just use Sora's but all the costumes May had to use and the makeup were already there, so until Sora had her baby and was able to return, which everybody assumed she would, May would use it. She wondered if Sora was bothered at all that May was replacing her, though it was only temporary, believe it or not, she didn't like being the center of attention as much as she used to. If it did bother her, she wasn't showing it, but then again, May was sure she had other things to worry about.

May knew that Sora was still in the building, doing odd jobs and what not, just like when she had temporarily stopped performing when Leon had picked May as his partner, but that was years ago. She was over thinking things, she continued passed the rooms.

* * *

><p>"Hello?" Sora heard someone call. She was carrying a box of stage makeup when the voice startled her nearly enough to cause her to drop the box. She recognized the voice though. She turned to see Ava walking down the hall, a box of flowers in her arms.<p>

"Ava!" Sora called her over. Ava's eyes lit up as she ran toward her friend.

"Sora! I'm glad you're still here!" She smiled brightly.

"What are you doing here?" Sora eyed the flowers.

"Oh, I'm delivering flowers for tonight's show. I've been doing arrangements for some of the shows but Grant has been the one delivering them, but I told him to stay and hold down the fort because I wanted to come see you!"

"You did the flowers? They were beautiful!" Sora was impressed.

"Oh! I almost forgot! I have no idea where I'm supposed to deliver these!"

"I'll take you." Sora led her to the stage which was still teeming with activity. There was a show that night and people were doing the normal preparations. Swings were being tested, ropes were tightened and the like.

"Cathy!" Sora called. "The flowers are here!"

"Okay! Leave them over there!" She went back to yelling at a stagehand to take the net down. Ava put the box down at the edge of the stage.

"I have to deliver this to one of the dressing rooms, you want to come? I'll give you a tour."

"Okay!"

They made their way down the halls, Sora pointing out different departments and practice rooms along the way until the finally got to her former dressing room.

"This was mine." Sora said as she opened the door.

"Was?" Ava asked.

"Well, I can't really perform now, for obvious reasons." Sora turned to her side, comically showing off the visible bump on her midsection.

"Oh, I'm sure no one will notice!" She joked, earning a laugh from Sora. She began to place the makeup on the vanity table.

"Wow, I can't believe you actually wore all of these." Ava said, brushing her hands over the silky soft costumes.

"Yeah, their actually more comfortable than you'd think. It's almost like a second skin and they stretch so it's easy to move in."

"You know," Ava said, "I actually recognized one of the women in the other room, if I'm not mistaken, I did the flower arrangements for her wedding. I think her name was Sarah."

"You did her flowers too?" Sora was surprised. "They were amazing, you really know what you're doing. If I'd ever get married, I'd want you to do the flowers."

"Well I have been in love with flowers forever." She laughed. "So, any wedding bells in the near future for you?" Sora was silent. She didn't really know what to say. She could feel her cheeks heating up.

"Sora?" Ava sounded concerned, she'd noticed the silence.

"Who would I marry?" Sora sounded a bit more bitter than she'd intended.

"The father?" Ava suggested.

"I'm sorry, but he's not going to be involved." Sora tried to make her voice sound light but it didn't work.

"Why, doesn't he want to raise his child?" Ava asked lightly, not knowing how deep her questions were cutting Sora.

"He doesn't know." Sora still wouldn't look at Ava.

"What do you mean 'He doesn't know?'" Ava sounded genuinely concerned. "He doesn't know you're pregnant?"

This time Sora did look at her. "He knows I'm pregnant, just not that he's the father." Sora could feel her chest growing cold, she didn't like to speak about her situation, but it was just flowing from her. "And I can't tell him, I can't have him hate me, I can't ruin his life like this."

"How could something so precious ruin his life?" Ava was genuinely worried about Sora.

"Because, he has someone else, and I just can't do this to him… no matter how much I love him." Sora stopped. She hadn't been thinking of what she was saying, she felt as though she had no control over the words that were coming from her mouth, but she knew it was true; she was in love with Leon.

"I love him." She whispered mostly to herself, "But I shouldn't," she could feel the warm tears streaming down her face, and the pain in her chest from a broken heart. "I can't have him, I can't be with the father no matter how much I do love him, so neither will the baby, I don't want my child to have to go through this."

"Sora." Ava said as she wrapped her arms around her in comfort, letting Sora cry into her shoulder, finally letting the months of agony unknown to even herself out.

* * *

><p>Leon walked down the halls, searching for Sora, he knew she would still be in the building; she was normally one of the last ones to leave. He continued to search for her, flowers under his arm. Earlier he'd walked into a flower shop called In Full Bloom.<p>

"Can I help you?" The man behind the counter asked, he couldn't have been much older than Leon, he wore a black apron with a pair of shears in the pocket. He had shoulder length chestnut hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. His nametag read Grant.

Leon wasn't really sure what he was supposed to ask for "Get flowers," Annette had said, "Somesing nice and ask her to dinner." She'd insisted, even giving Leon the name of this particular shop that she absolutely _adored_.

"I need some flowers." Leon said dumbly, no shit, he was in a flower shop.

"What kind?" He asked nicely, an easy smile on his face. "We got arrangements for funerals, get well soon, congratulations," the man listed the types of arrangements as he cut the thorns from the rose he'd been holding when Leon had walked in. "We have whatever you need."

"How about 'have dinner with me?'" Leon said evenly.

"Aha." Grant grinned. "A special lady friend." Leon could feel his cheeks heating up, but he refused to blush, even if it was by sheer willpower. "These would be it then." He pulled out a bucket of roses that he'd already removed the thorns from and some baby's breath. He laid the flowers down on some white tissue paper and placed the baby's breath between every few roses and then rolled it up expertly, tying a red ribbon around the stems. "Here you are." He smiled at Leon like he knew how he felt. Leon cracked a small smile, thanked the man and left a generous tip.

Now he stood outside of Sora's dressing room, the door was slightly open and he could hear voices coming from the inside. His heart rate began to speed up as he heard Sora's voice. He paused outside the door, about to knock.

"What do you mean 'He doesn't know?'" Leon heard a woman say. "He doesn't know you're pregnant?"

"He knows I'm pregnant, just not that he's the father." Sora's voice came, slightly muffled. "And I can't tell him, I can't have him hate me, I can't ruin his life like this."

"How could something so precious ruin his life?"

"Because, he has someone else, and I just can't do this to him… no matter how much I love him."

"I love him." There was a pause, "But I shouldn't," Leon heard her voice crack "I can't have him, I can't be with the father no matter how much I do love him, so neither will the baby, I don't want my child to have to go through this." He heard sobbing through the small crack in the door.

Leon could feel his heart sink. She was in love with the father. He looked down to the flowers in his hand, and then to the ground. He turned and walked away, not making a sound. He could feel his nose prickle a bit as he dropped the roses into the trashcan down the hall.

* * *

><p>Sora's thoughts were still on her newly found realization of love the next day as she walked down the street. That was the only explanation; she loved Leon, but knowing that he was betrothed to a beautiful French woman, she couldn't bear to watch him place his arms on another at the show the previous evening, so, with morning sickness as an excuse, she left early to go home.<p>

Ava had convinced her to join her for lunch the next day at her favorite Café, so Sora was on her way. She still wasn't exactly feeling up to par, but just sitting around and moping wouldn't do much help, she needed to lift her spirits, for the baby's sake.

* * *

><p>Leon couldn't believe the performance he'd given the night before. He was stopped after the show the night before by an audience member. They told him they'd never seen such a tragic phantom, not even in the Broadway show. He was told that he'd given the best performance as the phantom that they'd ever seen. He never realized his mood broke through his acting enough for someone in the audience to notice, but he could just tell them that it was acting; though Annette knew better.<p>

He was told to join her for lunch that day, not really given much of a choice, so he was on his way to meet Annette at her favorite café, when he saw the object of his torment walking not much farther ahead of him. He could clearly see the size of her midsection now, it was hard to deny that she was pregnant. His heart skipped a beat before he remembered the conversation he'd over heard the day before. She was in love with the father, he could never have her. His mood seemed to sink yet again; he hated rollercoasters.

* * *

><p>Sora's eyes followed a young woman pushing a stroller. She had another young child at her side, holding the little boy's hand as they walked. She looked so happy. Sora hoped she would be that happy when her child was born. The young boy had auburn curls, freckles and the bluest eyes she'd ever seen; he couldn't be more than three years old. The child saw Sora looking at him and smiled and waved. Sora waved back. A man accidentally bumped into the young mother, causing her to drop her purse, spilling its contents. The mother and the man knelt down to pick up her possessions, Sora could hear the man apologizing profusely.<p>

The next minute seemed to happen in a millisecond. When the man bumped into the mother, the little boy noticed a dog being walked across the street, the mother, not paying attention, let go of the child's hand to pick up her things. The child ran into the street.

Sora's heart raced as she watched the child run into the path of an oncoming car. Her movements were automatic, adrenaline coursed through her veins as she took flight. Luckily she wasn't far from the child. She ran into traffic and had enough time to grab the child before she heard the tires begin to squeal like a banshee's scream.

"SORA!" she heard from very close; a familiar voice over the screeching of the tires. She felt the impact more than any pain.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Sora just lay there in the middle of the street, waiting for the pain to hit, but as she lay still with the crying child in her arms, she realized that the impact she felt was not enough to have been a speeding car. She heard the crowd begin to gather around and the child's mother crying out, wondering where her child was.

"Someone call an ambulance!" She heard a voice yell. _I'm fine,_ she wanted to tell them, but couldn't exactly find her voice. She heard a bunch of people gather behind her, panic in their voices.

"Mommy!" The child cried.

"Johnny!" The mother cried the relief was obvious in her voice; Sora sat up and let the child go, aware that he was now safe. She began to stand, a little shaky on her feet, but shock did that to a person. An older gentleman grabbed her elbow, to steady her. "Are you okay?" He asked, but his eyes kept peering behind them.

Sora just nodded.

"Thank you!" The woman hugged Sora, tears streaming down her face. Sora began to pay closer attention to the commotion and finally noticed the crowd behind her, but they were looking at something on the ground, one man was yelling loudly into a cellphone, giving an address and demanding an ambulance. Her chest went cold; _there was someone else in the accident?_

She began to elbow her way through the circle of people, trying to catch a glimpse of the figure lying on the ground, but only had to see the flash of silver-white hair before her chest felt constricted, and she felt lightheaded. She brought a hand to her mouth; she was going to be sick. _Oh my god!_ Her mind was running a mile a minute, trying to process what she was seeing. She rushed forward and landed on her hands and knees near the motionless figure on the ground, almost landing in a quickly growing pool of blood rushing from a nasty gash running from the center of his forehead, through his left eyebrow and down across his temple.

"Leon?" was the only word that escaped her lips.

* * *

><p>The paramedics would not leave her be as she lay down on the stretcher in the quickly moving ambulance. Seeing she was pregnant, the EMTs were quick to decide that, along with Leon, she needed to be rushed to the hospital in order to have the baby checked and see if she had any physical trauma. She remained silent, though her thoughts didn't. Her mind kept flashing back to the image of Leon lying apparently lifeless on the ground. When she saw him there, she had taken his head into her lap, touching his face, just willing for him to wake up, but there was no response,<p>

"Speak to me!" She had yelled, "Leon!" Tears were streaming down her face, _how could this happen?_ She felt a firm grip on her arms, pulling her back.

"No!" she had cried, pulling free and grasping Leon's limp body in her arms, blood staining her dress.

Now she lay there motionless, the tears now dry on her cheeks, finally she broke her silence.

"Is he okay?" She asked the paramedic who was taking her pulse. Her voice cracked.

"Right now we need to worry about you." He said, skillfully avoiding her question. "How many weeks are you?" Is asked, indicating the baby. Sora's heart sank, the baby.

"Is my baby okay?!" She tried to sit up, hysterical; the paramedic gently pushed her shoulders down.

"Calm down, your baby should be fine. How far along are you?" he asked in a soothing voice.

"14 weeks," Sora said softly. She felt cold, but she knew the child was coming from within, _what if he's…_ she couldn't bring herself to even think it.

"I'm sure you can see him as soon as you are checked." The paramedic tried to be reassuring. Sora only hoped that Leon's wound wasn't as bad as it had looked. Her mind and body were numb.

* * *

><p>She paced back and forth in the waiting area; her nails were all but chewed down to the quick. The receptionist looked at her uneasily. She looked to the clock for about the 20th time in the past five minutes. She took back to pacing, skillfully avoiding eye contact with the receptionist who wouldn't stop staring, though Sora couldn't blame her. There she was in the hospital waiting room, blood stains on her dress, an arm bandaged and face slightly scraped from the fall, looking around like she expected a ghost to appear out of thin air.<p>

"Sora!" May called from the door, a mixture of relief and anxiety etched onto her face. Sora could tell she was judging the amount of blood on the front of her dress, but that didn't seem to matter considering how quick she was to pull Sora to her chest. Ken wasn't too far behind. She pulled away and looked Sora up and down. "Are you okay?" Her eyebrows were pulled together in worry.

Sora's vision blurred as tears began to stream down her face again. "He knocked me out of the way." Her voice broke. "He saw me run, and knocked me out of the way." She began to sob as May pulled her close again; Ken remained silent, unsure of what to do in the presence of tears.

"SShh," May whispered as Sora cried into her shoulder, "It'll be okay." Where was Layla when you needed her? Why did she have to pick that week to go on vacation with the family?

Sora sniffled, "What if he's…" her voice broke, "Because of me… What if he's…"

"Don't even think about it!" May pulled away and held Sora by the shoulders, looking directly into her scraped up, tear-stained face and said it firmly. "Do not sell him short. We've seen this guy fall from fifty foot drops, he will get through this, I promise." May only hoped she hadn't turned herself into a liar.

"Miss Naegino?" Sora turned to see a young nurse, maybe a couple years older than her, in lavender scrubs. "Your friend is out of surgery now, you may go in," she looked at May and Ken, "I'm sorry but I can only allow one person in at a time, he needs to rest."

"That's fine, thank you." May answered for all three of them, she turned to Sora, "See, I told you, now go." There was no hiding the relief in Sora's expression, she squeezed May's hand and turned to follow the nurse.

* * *

><p>Her throat felt blocked, her chest constricted, her eyes were locked onto the bed. Leon looked like he'd been hit by a train, or should I say a car. His eyes were surrounded by dark circles, deep bruises that would not fade for a while. His forehead was wrapped tightly in gauze; she could see the stitches peeking out from one corner. His face was pale; she could see a split in his upper lip and the oxygen hose in his nose. His left leg was in a cast, his arm was bandaged, Sora assumed he's gotten some pretty bad scrapes, though that was the least of his worries.<p>

He had an IV drip hanging near the bed and was hooked up to the heart monitor. Sora could hear the steady beeping of the machine, a sign that he was alive. She nearly collapsed at his bedside, relief making her knees weak, but her chest ached, knowing that this was her fault.

"This is all my fault," she had begun to cry yet again. Stupid effing hormones! She took one of his hands in both of hers and kissed it softly. "I'm so sorry Leon." She whispered. She rested her forehead against his hand. "I'm sorry. I never wanted any of this to happen." She sobbed softly. "Why did you do this for me? Why would you risk dying just for me?" she asked, her head throbbing. "I just want to say thank you," she said softly, "I know you can't hear me right now, but I just wanted to thank you for saving my baby," she paused, "_Our _baby," she whispered, her voice breaking in the end. "You'll make a great father one day. I'm sorry for lying to you Leon, I'm so sorry." She cried yet again, "Leon, I know it's not right, but I love you. _Please_ wake up." She pleaded, but he didn't respond. "Please." But her plea was only met with silence.

She sat in silence for a few minutes, occasionally letting out a choked sob, unaware of the platinum blonde ex-model standing just outside the door.

* * *

><p>Leon didn't wake up for nearly three days. Every day, Sora went, if only to see if he woke and every day, Annette was there, once she even walked by and saw a very tall man with shaggy blonde hair and deep, crystal blue eyes, he and Annette on each side of the bed, Sora could hear them speaking in French. The man was very handsome, he could have been a movie star, or with his slight figure, a model, he certainly dressed like one.<p>

On the third day, he was alone, so she went in and took a seat next to the bed. She took his hand in hers and just stared at his face, the bruises were fading a bit and she could see that his bandages have been changed, and the one over his forehead has been removed, showing the stitches and the former gash that looks like it will leave a scar. She gently brushed her fingers over the stitches. She swore she felt a twitch in her hand. A smile broke across her face, he was okay.

She heard someone clear their voice at the door. There stood Annette wearing a pair of white capris and a light blue t-shirt along with her signature four inch stilettos, her hair was in a single long braid. She smiled softly at Sora.

Sora abruptly let go of Leon's hand and stood up, blushing profusely. She walked to the door. "Hello." She said to Annette as she was about to leave.

"You don't need to go." She said in her thick French accent.

"Its fine," Sora forced a smile. "I have plans." She said, maybe she'd drop by Ava's shop and see how things were going.

"Goodbye." She said as she kept walking.

"But-" Sora was already gone, Annette wasn't quick enough.

A few minutes later Annette was sitting by Leon's bedside, holding his hand when she felt a pressure on hers and heard him take a deep breath. She looked up in time to see his eyes flutter open and he groaned.

"My head." He said in a thick voice.

"Morning sleeping beauty." Annette said.

"What happened?" He asked groggily, ignoring her joke.

"Well, let's just say you had a disagreement with a car in the middle of the street." She said flatly.

He looked up at the ceiling for a minute, apparently trying to remember what happened when his eyes grew wide.

"Sora!" He cried, trying to sit up, but apparently it was a little too much because he just fell back and hit the pillow with a gasp. "Is she okay?" He said in an alarmed voice. "The baby?"

"Zey are both fine." She said reassuringly. "Zat was a very brave thing you did, Leon, you saved her life, the baby, and the child Sora was trying to save."

"At least they are okay." He winced. Annette handed him the morphine button.

"Now don't you go turning into an addict on me." She joked.

He pressed it and visibly relaxed; his eyes began to droop. He promptly fell asleep. Annette pulled the blanket up to his shoulders and walked to the door; the nurses should know he was awake. Judging by how fast he fell asleep with the drugs, he would be out for a little while. So Annette decided to get him some treats as a little pick me up, hopefully he'd stay knocked out until she got back.

* * *

><p>Sora walked in the late September heat, southern California never seemed to cool off, but she liked the weather. She was smart enough to have tied up her hair and worn sunglasses that day because it seemed abnormally bright, but maybe it was just her mood. She avoided the area of town where the accident took place; luckily there were other side-streets that she could use to get to where she wanted to go. She just so happened to be walking through the shopping district this time.<p>

She looked into store windows as she walked by; one storefront particularly caught her attention. She paused and looked in. She was looking at a store for baby clothing and furniture. She imagined herself holding a little bundle, wrapped up in the softest of animal patterned blankets, cooing softly. She imagined pushing a stroller with a giggling toddler pointing and babbling, trying to show mommy all the wonderful things outside. She imagined herself on the beach, holding chasing the child in the sand, pretending she couldn't catch up. She imagined holding the hand of a very handsome man who was holding her child and kissed her forehead softly, his long silver hair blowing in the breeze.

She needed to stop torturing herself. She needed to stop thinking of Leon, she could be happy without him, knowing that he himself is happy.

She looked into the store one more time, then it hit her; she'd never even gotten anything for Ava's baby. She walked into the door without hesitation.

* * *

><p>"Hello?" Sora called into the shop, a shopping bag under her arm; there was no one at the counter. She walked in, leaving the door open; she remembered Ava saying something about letting in a breeze being good for the flowers. "Hello?" She called again and heard a rustling in the back room and someone muttering.<p>

Sora looked on the counter and found a little bell that said ring for service. She tapped it softly, letting the sharp sound fill the air.

"Coming!" She heard a soft voice call from the back. There was a bump and a soft "Ouch" before there were footsteps in the hall. "Can I help you?" She said before she even saw Sora.

"Sora!" She cried, giving her a hug, that seemed to be her default greeting. "I'm so glad you're okay! I heard about the accident!" She said quickly, "I'm sorry I wasn't able to go see you."

"It's fine. I'm fine, and Leon moved today so that's a plus!" She smiled weakly.

"That was a brave thing he did." Ava said.

Sora was silent.

Ava, deciding things were getting too serious, decided to change the subject. "Look at these." She pulled a basket of orange roses out from behind the counter. "I've been getting them ready for the fall season, you know, special colors and all."

"Wow! I've never seen an orange rose before!" Sora was fascinated.

"We grow them in a special dye so they grow different colors. It doesn't hurt the flowers and they come out in awesome colors." She moved them around in the basket. "What's that?" She said, indicating Sora's bag.

"Oh, it's for you actually, well, for the baby." She handed her the bag. "I thought you'd like it."

Ava pulled out a soft ivory blanket with roses embroidered onto it in different colored threads. "Oh! It'd beautiful! I love it! I'll have to show it to Grant when he gets back."

"From where?" Sora asked.

"He went to help his brother move in Santa Barbara, so he should be back tomorrow or the day after." She paused for a second; her hand flew to her stomach.

"Are you okay?" Sora asked after a moment of silence.

Ava didn't speak; she only took Sora's hand and placed in on her stomach. Sora felt a light flutter beneath her fingertips, she smiled.

"He's a little kick boxer lately." Ava said softly, her eyes full of love as she looked at her belly.

"Wow," Sora whispered as she felt Ava's baby kick again. "This is amazing!"

"I know! Sometimes it can get a little uncomfortable but it's worth it!" She laughed. "Has yours kicked yet?"

"No," Sora sighed. "Nothing yet."

"Oh, I'm sure he'll start moving around soon, don't worry about it. Well, thank you so much for the blanket, I love it!" She rubbed the blanket against her cheek. "Oh! I almost forgot! I have more roses I want to show you, come on, they're in the greenhouse." She began to walk down the hall when she stopped suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Sora said. Ava didn't answer, she only stood there.

"Oh my god…" came her voice after a moment of silence.

"What?" Sora asked. She noticed a puddle of water on the floor.

Ava turned, her dress soaked.

"Oh my god." It was Sora's turn to be shocked. They just stared at each other for a second, shock setting in. She ran to the door and flipped the open sign to closed.

* * *

><p>Sora stood outside the delivery room, pacing anxiously. <em>Why did Grant have to be gone then!<em> She looked at the clock.

"Miss Naegino?" A nurse peaked her head out the room. "You can come in; Mrs. Ross wants you to be here."

"Me?" Sora asked dumbstruck. Her heart was pounding as she walked through the door. Ava was hooked up to a couple of machines.

"Good." Ava sighed with relief, "You're still here."

"Of course, I wouldn't leave at a time like this."

"Grant's brother couldn't have picked a worse time to move." She laughed but was hit with a contraction. "They're getting shorter." She just looked at Sora for a second, then swallowed and asked, "Will you stay in here with me?"

"What?" Sora thought she misheard.

"Grant is gone and I'm scared to do this alone." She wanted Sora in the delivery room. Sora's heart lept.

She smiled, "Okay."

* * *

><p>About an hour later Sora was all gowned up and standing by Ava's head. "You're doing great."<p>

"AAGGHH!" Was her answer. Her face was contorted with pain. Sora was suddenly scared; this was going to be her in a few months. Ava was squeezing Sora's hand so hard that her finger tips were turning purple. She wiped the sweat from her forehead. What had she gotten herself into?

"Okay, push!" The doctor said. Ava screamed again. "One more!" The doctor said, then was silent. He spoke to one of the nurses.

Sora suddenly got this sinking feeling in her stomach.

"What's wrong?" Ava asked between gasps. The doctor just looked at her for a second. "What the hell is going on?" She demanded.

"Mrs. Ross, I need you to relax," she took a breath, "The baby is not descending."

"What does that mean?" Sora asked, alarmed. Ava was suddenly very still,

"What's wrong with my baby?" she cried loudly, but the doctor ignored her question.

"Get the ultrasound ready," she isntructed the nurse,

"Doctor?" Ava said uneasily. the doctor only kept working with the equipment. "What the hell is going on?!" Ava now sounded hysterical.

"We're just checking to make sure everything is alright." the doctor said. Ava was silent except for the occasional whimper when a contraction would pass.

The doctor spread the cold gel over Ava's stomach. A blurry image appeared on the screen. Sora couldn't really make much of it at first, but as the doctor located the baby and the picture got a little clearer Sora's heart nearly stopped.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's** **Note**: Yeah, Yeah, i know i'm a horrible person for making you guys wait but high school is hell sometimes, thank you for your patience!

Chapter 17

Sora couldn't help but stare at the ultrasound screen, her breath caught in her throat. She could see what was unmistakably the baby's head, his large closed eyes, his little nose, his mouth which was partially opened, she was amazed to see the face, but that wasn't what nearly stopped her heart.

She could see something was wrong with the baby's neck; it looked as though there were bumps, like the baby had some kind of rash, but then it hit her; the cord was wrapped around the baby's neck!

Sora knew that Ava saw it too because, if it was possible, she gripped Sora's hand even tighter and gasped; her face a mask of sheer terror. She couldn't seem to find her voice, Sora just held her hand and tried to comfort her in any way she could.

"Nurse." The doctor called, "Get the equipment ready."

"What are you going to do?" Sora asked, even she noticed the edge in her voice, Ava seemed frozen.

"We need to perform an emergency C-section," the Doctor said as she began to prepare Ava for the procedure. "The umbilical cord is wrapped around the baby's neck, if it were to be born vaginally then the cord could tighten, constricting the airways and cutting off circulation to the brain." The doctor was speaking as she set up a curtain, blocking Sora and Ava's view. Ava still couldn't speak; she seemed to be in shock. They sat in silence for a moment as the doctor finished preparing.

"Mrs. Ross?" the doctor said, making sure Ava was okay.

Ava looked directly at the doctor from where she lay. "Do it." Was all she said.

* * *

><p>Kalos sat in his office, just staring at the papers spread across his desk. His star, his phantom was now unable to perform, what was he going to do? He could have Andrew temporarily take over as the phantom and then bump up one of the smaller parts, but that still means postponing shows for at least a few days, but he really didn't see any other choice but to scramble the parts a bit. He really hoped Leon was going to be okay. Kalos decided, he'd have to go explain to the cast.<p>

He walked out of his office with the intention of finding his major roles first, he'd given most of the cast the day off but knew that he could find at least May and Andrew, they seemed to be there all the time, even on days off.

He continued down the hall and came across Rosetta, who seemed to be talking to herself.

"But I don't get it, Master Fool." She was saying. "I just can't seem to get far enough!" Kalos furrowed his eyebrows in confusion; he didn't get what she was looking at over her shoulder, or who she was talking to, but she just kept talking away and walking without even noticing him until she'd nearly run into him.

Kalos cleared his voice and she nearly jumped out of her skin, she looked over her shoulder, eyes wide as if she expected someone to be following her. Her cheeks were a flaming red, almost as red as her hair when she looked back to him.

"Do you know where May is?" Kalos asked, avoiding having to put Rosetta in an awkward situation.

"Practice room 4." She said, eyes cast down; she looked embarrassed that Kalos had caught her talking to herself.

"Thank you." He said.

"Excuse me," she shuffled by at a quicker pace than before.

He just decided to ignore it, if his staff felt the need to speak to themselves, it was none of his concern. Practice room 4 was one of the bigger rooms that always had a trapeze and net set up, when the stage was being cleaned or was unavailable for some reason, that was the room they used, he heard a grunt as he stood before the door; May was practicing.

He opened the door quietly, it wouldn't do any good to scare her; she could fall. He looked up to the swings and was surprised. He took off his ever-present sunglasses and watched in silence as May and Ken flew through the air. He watched as May leapt from her swing and did a double twisted layout as Ken did the same right above her, for a second he thought they'd collide but the timing was so perfect that they missed each other by mere inches, Ken caught the next swing by hooking one knee around it and pulled a pose, arching his back and straightening his other leg, just as May flew to him and he held her in his arms, hanging upside down as she was upright. They continued to swing and he released her, catching her wrists and then launching her to the next swing.

Kalos honestly had to say he was impressed, he knew that Ken used to perform and had to stop for medical reasons, but he never realized he was that good. He watched in amazement as they continued to fly and twist through the air. Ken could probably be almost as good as Leon! Then he saw something that looked very familiar.

May stood on her swing and forced it to accelerate as she launched herself into the air; Ken did the same, perfectly mimicking her movements though he was one swing behind. May caught the next swing and flew back into open air, Ken leapt in her direction from across the way, they met in the center and Ken took her in his arms as their direction changed; he caught her, just as the phantom caught Christine.

Kalos got an idea. They stood on one swing, breathing heavily, arms intertwined. Kalos started clapping, effectively shocking them and sending them to the net. Kalos almost laughed as he watched them try to untangle themselves from the net. He just stood there, waiting for them to come to him.

They stood before him, May had a slight red tint to her cheeks, Ken was no longer breathing heavily; his stamina was remarkable.

"I can explain," May began, but Kalos put up his hand, silencing her. He looked at Ken.

"I have a proposition for you."

* * *

><p>"He's beautiful!" Sora cried when they'd brought Ava's baby back in from getting cleaned. Ava was now holding the tiny blue bundle in her arms, her hair was a mess, her eyes were bloodshot and surrounded by dark bruise-like marks, and she had to be careful of how she held the baby so she wouldn't disturb the stitches, but Sora could see that she was never happier than that moment. "What are you going to name him?"<p>

"Eli," Ava said softly, never taking her eyes from her baby's face, "Eli David Ross." She softly touched his face. Sora was sitting in the chair by the bed. There was some noise coming from the hallway. Suddenly there was a disheveled looking man standing at the door, using the frame for support. His shoulder length brown hair was in disarray, his shirt was misbuttoned, and he was wearing two different shoes.

"Hello, Mr. Ross." Ava said with a beaming smile. "Would you like to meet your son?"

Grant just beamed a huge smile that Sora had never really seen on anybody, a look that can only be on the face of a new father. Sora was happy, but the look kind of made her chest hurt. Grant rushed over to Ava's side and just planted one on her, kissing her and then hugging her, careful of the baby.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be here," he pulled away then looked down and just stared in awe at the little bundle in her arms.

"I forgive you," Ava smiled, "I would like to introduce you to your son, Eli David Ross." Ava said, her eyes full of love, Sora felt as though she was intruding on a private moment. Ava gently placed their son into her husband's arms, "Watch his head," she said softly; Grant looked as though he was afraid to break him. He couldn't take his eyes away.

Ava moved a little and cringed. Grant definitely noticed.

"What's wrong?" He asked, concern etched into his face.

"Nothing, I think the drugs are wearing off." Ava smiled weakly, Sora handed Ava her water and she took a small sip.

"What do you mean?" he took the seat on the opposite side of the bed, the baby still in his arms, Sora could tell he wasn't going to let him go anytime soon; looks like Ava may have to wrestle her son away, but hopefully only when she's healed, the doctor said she couldn't even lift a shopping bag for a few weeks.

"There were some complications, but everything's alright." Grant's expression only grew more concerned. "The needed to do an emergency C-section, so guess who gets to wait on this beauty hand and foot for a while." She laughed, but he only pulled her against him in a nearly crushing hug.

"Watch the baby." She said, Sora could see the tears in his eyes. She stood up silently and walked out of the room, giving them some privacy.

Sora decided to take a walk and pay a friend a visit; she hadn't seen him since the day he woke up. He was alone, and he was awake. She just stood outside the door for a minute, just staring at him. He was just sitting there, reading a book; Sora could see that they had removed his stitches but the gash still left a nasty looking red line across his forehead, but then again, Sora's perception may have been a little off considering she's seen him lying in a pool of blood nearly a week earlier and hadn't seen him awake until then. She almost wanted to cry, but she had decided she wouldn't let herself; she was just thankful he was awake.

* * *

><p>She took a deep breath and knocked on the door, Leon put his book down and looked up; he seemed almost surprised to see her, but that didn't stop the small smile that spread across his face. Sora's breath caught in her throat. They just stared at each other for a moment; Leon decided to break the silence.<p>

"Come in." He said in his slightly thick French accent.

Sora was somewhat jolted from her frozen state and returned Leon's smile, entering the room and taking the seat next to the bed.

"How are you feeling?" Sora asked, but then mentally slapped herself for asking such a stupid question; he was in the hospital for Christ sake!

"I've been better, but I've also been worse," he chuckled. "Luckily I have this to get me by," he held up the button for the morphine pump.

Was he trying to make a joke? "I guess so," Sora laughed feebly. They lapsed into silence yet again. Sora had something she wanted to say, something she wanted Leon to hear, but she really didn't know how to start.

"Ava had her baby," Sora offered.

"Really?" Leon smiled, "Tell her I said congratulations. Was it a boy or girl?" He asked.

"A boy, she named him Eli, he's so tiny." Sora thought back to the image of their small family in her room, how it was the very image of happiness. She had something she needed to say.

"I, um," she paused, trying to collect her words but it was so hard with those beautiful eyes staring back at her in anticipation. She looked down to her hands and found that she was playing with her charm bracelet again. Leon chose to ignore accepting the fact that it was probably Fool that gave it to her. She took a deep breath and rose her eyes to meet his again. "Thank you." Was all she said for a moment.

"You don't need to-" he began but Sora cut him off.

"I want to thank you for saving my baby," she said, but she almost thought she saw him cringe. "You saved my life and my baby's, you could have died but you did it anyway…" she paused for a moment, taking a shaky breath, "I'll never be able to thank you enough," she blinked the tears from her eye. She looked to her hands again then closed her eyes. She felt something warm on her hand and opened her eyes, she saw his long, slightly calloused fingers over hers, she never knew hands could be so beautiful. She looked up and saw a softness in his eyes she'd never seen before, from anyone.

"Mr. Oswald?" Sora nearly jumped out of her seat, she never even noticed the nurse at the door. "It's time for your medication."

"Just a few more minutes?" Leon asked.

"Sorry, Doctor's orders," she gave a sympathetic smile.

"That stuff always puts me to sleep," he complained, Sora had to laugh; she'd never heard Leon whine before.

"I guess I'd better go, you need your rest," Sora smiled.

She began to stand and was about to leave when she felt his hand on hers again. Sora was surprised, but Leon acted like he didn't notice, he slowly let her hand go. "Goodbye," the word escaped his lips, but what he really wanted to say was _Don't Go._

Sora walked out, felling as though the pressure on her chest was just a little bit lighter.

* * *

><p>Sora stood barefoot in the sand; the salty sea breeze tugging playfully at her purple tresses. She walked along the water line sometimes letting the warm water wash over her toes. The breeze pulled at her skirt. She'd gone to the beach after returning to Ava's room to let them know she was leaving, Ava said she didn't have to go, Grant gave her a huge hug and thanked her for being there for Ava. She placed a hand on her stomach and looked at the coral pink sunset on the horizon. She rubbed her belly in slow circles.<p>

"Hello, Little One," she said. "I'm your mama." She couldn't help but smile at herself, people would think she was talking to herself. "I can't wait for you to see this." She said softly. "One day me and you will come here to play in the water, we can build sandcastles and eat ice cream, I could dress you up and we'd just have fun." Sora whispered. She felt happy for some reason now.

"Come on," Sora said softly, "why won't you move?" She stood in silence for a moment. "Just take your time, you're perfect the way you are." Sora smiled to herself as she walked along the beach.

* * *

><p>Sora went to the show a few days later; May had said that they had found a temporary replacement for Leon and Sora wanted to see how he was. She sat in the front row of the audience, compliments of Kalos. She waited and listened to the noise of the crowd. She tried to make out some conversations, but it was impossible, yet still worked as a way to pass time since she was there alone. Sora was getting quite anxious and hoped the show would start soon. She took to fiddling with her bracelet again.<p>

The house lights dimmed and she knew the show was about to start. She looked up to the upper left platform from where the Phantom would make his first appearance, it was empty, but then again he wouldn't appear until later. Sora watched as May played the part that was originally hers.

She watched as the Chinese acrobat flew through the air with wonderful grace and flexibility that rivaled hers; Sora couldn't help but feel a little jealous, but she had her time in the spotlight; now she had something more important in her life.

Sora recognized the scene change; it was time. She looked up to the rafters where the phantom was to appear. Suddenly he was there, a man in dark clothes and a long cloak, his dark hair slicked back, half his face covered in a white mask; she didn't recognize him.

Sora had a hard time concentrating on the rest of the show, her eyes kept going back to the new phantom; _who could he be?_ Sora was completely captivated by his movements, he moved just as fluidly and gracefully as Leon! But she knew it couldn't be Yuri, he was in Hawaii with his family for a while.

Now May and the mystery man stood almost chest to chest on the high wire as a mob formed beneath. The phantom was about to be unmasked. Sora watched in rapt silence as May gently turned the man's face toward her's, she held her breath as May moved her fingers to the mask.

Sora looked closely at the man's face; the makeup was done very well, his features distorted. Then May kissed him, not just a stage kiss where they turned so the audience couldn't really see like with Leon but a real, full kiss, that's when Sora knew. May didn't kiss just anybody, not like that.

Sora went backstage just as the show was ending. The staff was in the usual commotion of a show, she saw Rosetta standing aside, a book in her hands.

"Hey." Sora said, getting her attention. Rosetta looked up and her eyes were suddenly bright. She dropped her book and ran over to Sora, hugging her.

"Oh my god! I'm so glad you and the baby are okay!" She was almost crying. "You have no idea how worried I was!" She pulled away. "How's Leon?"

"Leon is doing just fine." A deep voice answered from behind Sora. Sora and Rosetta both turned to the sound of the voice. To say Sora was surprised to see Leon standing there was an understatement. He looked good for someone who was on the brink of death the week before. He was on crutches, his leg was wrapped, his hair was pulled into a ponytail and the cut on his face was scabbed over.

"Oh my god!" Rosetta said again, running over to give Leon a hug also, but at least she was careful enough not to knock him over.

"Nice to see you too," he had a small smirk.

"I'm so glad you guys are okay!" Rosetta practically yelled, then there was a crowd around them. The staff were surrounding Leon; Sora could have sworn she heard "How are you?" at least 20 times.

"What's going on here?" May called over the noise. Then she saw Leon. She walked over and hugged him; Sora couldn't help but notice how many people were touching him. "Congrats on your release!"

Sora turned around and Saw the new phantom standing there, his hair dark and slicked back, his face looked deformed due to the fake scars. "Great job today, Ken!" Sora called, "If I didn't know any better I'd say you never stopped performing!" He blushed a little, but you could barely tell through all the makeup. "What the hell did they put in your hair?" Sora touched it and her hand came away black; this earned a laugh.

"It's just hairspray; the can said it washes out." He laughed as Sora wiped her hand on his cape.

"You did great," Leon smiled, I mean he actually smiled Sora swore she could hear a pin drop. "But don't think I won't fight you for the spot back after I'm fixed." The staff laughed.

"Oh, I wouldn't feel right if you didn't!"

"So what's the deal with your leg?" Anna called.

"On the bright side, it was only a sprain, no broken bones but they said I would need crutches for about a week and that I might have a limp for a while."

"Well that's a relief!" Mia said. "But I think your fans will have a better chance of catching you now!" The whole group laughed at that, even Leon, and for a moment, it was as if there was no accident; everything just seemed right.

* * *

><p>Three weeks later Sora was, yet again, sitting in a hospital waiting room. The past few weeks have ben uneventful for the most part, Leon was off the crutches, Layla was still in Hawaii, May and Ken have been doing shows together and Sora's stomach was still growing. She sat in one of the comfortable chairs in the waiting area, a somewhat outdated magazine in hand.<p>

Her first ultrasound was today; she would finally be able to see her baby for the first time.

She was feeling a little giddy, excitement running through her, but when she looked up her mood kind of sank. She saw other women sitting in the waiting area, obviously pregnant, but what set her apart from them was that she was alone. She watched as the other women sat with their husbands' arms around them, or pointing out something funny in a magazine, or even just sharing a joke. She was on her own, and she had accepted it, but that didn't make it any easier.

She was prepared to go into that room and see her unborn child, she would be happy, she knew, but who else would know? She looked at the clock, her appointment was still 15 minutes away; her clock had died the night before and she set the time wrong and showed up a little too early.

She sighed, already bored with the magazine so she put it down. She looked through the glass doors that lead to another wing of the hospital and lo and behold, another waiting room. She was beginning to wonder if hospitals were mostly made up of waiting rooms when she saw a familiar face, or should I say a familiar back of someone's head standing at the desk.

She still had time, so she decided to go over and say hi.

"The nurses couldn't get enough of you, huh?" Sora said lightly.

Leon turned from the desk and smiled that dazzling smile yet again; was he trying to kill Sora through lack of oxygen? "More like the doctors, though I don't really think that's the kind of attention I want." He joked. "I'm actually here for physical therapy." He was off the crutches.

"Oh, is your appointment soon?" Sora asked, she liked being able to talk together like everything was okay.

"It just ended, actually, you?" He asked politely.

Here it goes. "Mine is in about 10 minutes." She said.

"Checkup?"

"Actually," Sora smiled as she said it, "My first ultrasound, I'll finally be able to see the little one."

"Really?" His smile wavered for a second. "You must be excited."

"Very."

"Is the um," he paused for a second and ran a hand through his hair, his smile was gone, "Father here?"

Sora felt her chest constrict, _yes,_ "No, I'm alone." She tried to make it seem like it didn't bother her, but she had a feeling that he saw right through it.

They stood in an awkward silence for a moment. Sora decided to break the silence. "How is your leg?"

"Still sore," he said, glad to be off the subject of the baby's father. "I have a bit of a limp, but the doctor said that was normal and I was very lucky. I should be back to normal in no time."

Time. Sora looked at the clock. "I'm sorry to have to leave like this but my appointment is, like, now."

"But," there was an announcement over the intercom just as Leon was about to say something but Sora was late.

She walked into the waiting area just as a nurse walked in and called her name.

"I'm here." Sora said and walked up to the nurse.

"Are you ready?" The nurse smiled.

"Yes!" Sora smiled.

"It's exciting isn't it?" The nurse smiled, "I remember my first time seeing my kid, I think my husband might have cried more than I did!" They laughed. "I'm sure yours'll handle this fine."

"What?" Sora was confused. "But I'm-"

The nurse was looking behind Sora. She looked to see what she was smiling at and Sora was shocked to see Leon standing there.

"What are you-"

"You shouldn't have to be alone." Leon had cut her off. He turned to the nurse. "I am allowed right?"

"Of course!" The nurse smiled; she thought Sora and Leon were together, and Sora liked the idea, temporarily forgetting about Annette. What's the worst that could happen?

* * *

><p>Leon didn't know what had come over him, maybe it was just the sad look on her face in that small instant, maybe it was his own selfishness, maybe his was just some kind of masochist, but none of that really mattered as he followed Sora and the nurse down the hall. Sora shouldn't have to be alone during her first ultrasound; what kind of father was this guy? Leaving a beautiful young woman alone to raise a child? Leaving her to go through the pregnancy alone? It just made Leon's blood boil.<p>

Who was it? That question just kept plaguing his mind, he was torturing himself and he knew it, but couldn't stop. Was it so wrong to love her even though she loved someone else? Could he ever get through?

What was he thinking? Was it really so awful to imagine that he could one day walk hand in hand with Sora and a beautiful young child? Was it so bad that he was beginning to care less and less that the child was not his? He needed to stop doing this to himself.

Sora laid on the exam bed with her shirt pulled up. She blushed a little when she saw Leon staring at the swell of her stomach; why was he looking at her that way? She felt wrong somehow; like she was betraying Annette by having him here, but the little guilty pleasure seemed worth it.

Sora almost gasped as they spread the cold gel over the exposed swell of her stomach.

"Okay," the doctor said, she looked like she was in her mid-30s with reddish brown hair and hazel eyes. The doctor had an easy smile and a look about her that just oozed trustworthiness. "We should be able to see the baby any second," the doctor moved the ultrasound thing over her skin, spreading the gel. Sora's eyes were glued to the screen. "Now," the doctor said, "Would you like to know the baby's gender?"

"No," Sora said, "I want it to be a surprise." She looked at Leon whose eyes were glued to the screen, an expression of fascination in place. She looked back to the screen. The picture moved and before the doctor could even say anything Sora gasped.

There, on the screen, though it still looked a little alienesque was Sora and Leon's baby. She could see a small face, a perfect little nose, closed eyes and a small mouth, the baby was sucking its thumb.

Suddenly Sora imagined her life after the baby. She was playing on the beach, chasing her child through the water; she was baking cookies, flour almost completely covering her face along with the face of a child with silver hair. She saw a birthday party with her child's face full of frosting wanting to give mommy a kiss. She saw herself sitting on a park bench, watching her child chasing the butterflies, as they watched, Leon leaned over to give her a kiss; he was in every one of her fantasies, holding her hand, by her side, chasing their child, laughing and looking as a happy, proud father should.

The tears were just streaming down her face; she didn't even try to stop them. That was her baby, _their_ baby, up on the screen; suddenly it all just seemed so real. She was going to be a mother. She sniffled.

"Sora?" Leon looked worried.

Sora let out a choked laugh. "That's my baby." She whispered, smiling. Leon looked at her with a certain tenderness that only made the tears more numerous; she was happy he was there with her. She grabbed his hand, he squeezed back.

"I'm going to be a mom." She whispered; this was the only thing that mattered now. Leon's smile faltered, he may have been an A-class actor, but even his poker-face had cracks. Why did he look at her like that? Wasn't he engaged? Sora felt like she didn't deserve to have Annette as a friend. Here she was, in love with Leon when she knew she couldn't have him, but she felt as though that didn't matter as much now. She could no longer keep this to herself; he needed to know.

* * *

><p>Leon insisted on bringing Sora out to dinner after her stomach had started growling toward the end of her appointment. She had been embarrassed but now the baby's already in charge and she was hungry. Leon had taken her out to one of her favorite restaurants that she hadn't been to in a while. They had a wonderful meal and talked a lot, like nothing was wrong, but Sora couldn't help but be anxious for nearly the whole time. Her new resolution seemed to be eating her from the inside. Leon noticed that something was up.<p>

He'd tried to avoid topics that would make Sora uncomfortable but she still seemed on edge.

"Thank you for the ride." Sora said at her door; Leon had insisted on walking her up.

"It was no problem," he said, "What kind of a gentleman would I be if I would have let a woman in your condition walk home alone?"

"Haha, I suppose you're right," she smiled at him.

Leon could feel his heart skip; to him her smile was more radiant than the sun. He didn't want to leave, but pregnant women needed their rest.

"Well," he began when Sora said "Would you like to come inside?"

They stood in a somewhat awkward silence for a moment; Leon could see there was something bothering her.

"Okay," he said softly, with a hint of uncertainty.

Sora unlocked the door for him.

* * *

><p>Leon was sitting on her couch, looking around her apartment as she made them tea. He looked at the family pictures she had covering the walls. He could see a picture of her and people he assumed were her friends, she was younger and they were wearing school uniforms, she was smiling brightly, he thought he saw braces. There was another one of her holding her sister Yume as a baby, and then one of her and Yume holding Ayumi; he remembered when she'd gone back to Japan to meet her new baby sister. There was a picture of her and her adoptive parents, taken at the stage the first time they saw her perform.<p>

There was one picture that particularly stood out to him. He stood up to get a better look. The picture was taken in front of the Kaleido Stage building, Sora must've been about four or five years old at the time. She was being held up on the shoulders of a man he did not recognize, there was a youngish looking woman who looked very similar to how Sora looked now, minus the purple hair and maybe plus a few years; they all looked so happy; the poster indicated the show at the time was Cinderella.

"That picture was taken when I saw my first Kaleido show." Sora said from behind him. She had two cups of tea on a tray and was looking at the picture with Leon. "It's one of my favorite memories," she trailed off.

"Were you very young when they died?" Leon asked softly.

"Still old enough to remember," She nearly whispered, "but I like to remember them the way they were, but my aunt and uncle were always there for me, I couldn't have asked for better." They were silent for a moment, just staring at the picture. Sora remembered the tea and set the tray down, then motioned for Leon to sit, he took the seat next to her. "I'm sure mom would have loved to be here today." She looked straight into his eyes. "Thank you for coming with me," she said, "I'm glad I wasn't alone."

"You shouldn't have to be," Leon said flatly. "What kind of a father would leave a young woman alone when she was carrying his child?"

"Please don't speak badly of him." Sora whispered, Leon still didn't know it was him.

"Why not?" he spoke a little louder, his blood beginning to boil, did this man not know what he had? He had the most kind, thoughtful, beautiful woman in the world, and he was just throwing her away? "He doesn't deserve you!" he let some venom leak into his voice. Sora could feel her cheeks beginning to heat up, Leon stood up, adding emphasis to his point. "You deserve much better than some lowlife who wouldn't even acknowledge his child! He left you alone to go through this! He didn't even go to the ultrasound to see his own child!"

Sora couldn't stand it anymore. She stood up, only reaching up to his ears, "Stop it!" she yelled, tears brimming in her eyes. Leon looked at her, shocked, he had gone too far. "Just stop." She whispered, turning away. Leon heard her whisper something, but couldn't quite hear her.

"What?" Leon asked.

Sora turned to him and looked directly into his eyes, her tears were gone. "He was there." her voice still a little muffled by tears.

"Sora, I," he began, confusion evident on his face. "I don't understand."

"The baby's father was there." She said clearly this time. Leon was silent; he mentally went through who he'd seen in the hospital that day. Sora was past the point of no return, too late to go back now; he needed to know. She took a deep breath, knowing she had his full attention. Her heart pounded in her ears, her chest felt weighed down.

"It's you."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"What?" Leon thought he'd heard wrong.

Sora took a slow, shaky breath, "I said," she paused, trying to steady her voice, "the father of my baby, is you." Leon's heart sank and he suddenly felt lightheaded. He sat down on the couch and stared at his cup of tea, letting the information set in. His silence scared Sora.

"Leon?" she said softly, he didn't respond. "Leon, talk to me!" she said more urgently.

"How is this possible?" he whispered, mostly to himself. He had never so much as spoken to her with any intention outside of performances, let alone did anything that could produce a child; he may have thought it but that's beside the point.

"You and I both know how something like this happens." She sat next to him, trying to stay calm; her hands were squeezed into fists hard enough for her knuckles to show white, she had visibly paled.

"It's impossible," he looked directly into her eyes. "I can't be the _father_." He said incredulously. "We never-"

"Apparently we did." Sora snapped as she cut him off; the hormones were still all over the place. She felt a little sorry, she knew he was in shock but he didn't need to look at her as though she was playing some cruel joke on him.

"When did this-" he gestured toward her belly, was still in shock.

"Remember the night of the party?" the look on his face said he did, at least parts of it, "You decided to walk me home and, well, I never made it home that night." She could feel her cheeks heating up, she couldn't believe she was trying to convince the man she was in love with that they had in fact slept together and the act produced the child she was now carrying.

He just stared at her for a minute, "I think I would remember something like that." He said clearly, it looked as though the shock was wearing off.

"We were drunk." She said, still trying to remain calm. "You even said yourself you didn't remember that night."

"And you did?" Sora didn't like the way he said that. Now she'd just dug her own grave.

"N-not exactly," she stuttered, looking away, her chest felt heavy. She picked up the tea which was now getting cold.

"What do you mean 'not exactly?'" he stood up behind her. "Sora, answer me!" he said when she didn't respond.

"I was drunk too!" she cried, almost spilling the tea.

"Then how do you know?" he said, his eyes turning a dark stormy violet.

"I got a paternity test." She whispered, her composure slipping.

Leon looked confused, "How did you…" he trailed off.

"I had to know." she said softly, "No matter what, I didn't mean to break in but I was desperate!" she suddenly stopped, she'd let something slip that she didn't mean to.

Then something in his face indicated that something was suddenly made clear.

"You were in my apartment?" He said in disbelief. It made sense now. His dressing room was always locked and only he and Kalos had the keys and she hadn't been close enough to him to get any DNA from him directly. This also explained the bracelet. "Is that where you got the bracelet?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Sora was silent, she wouldn't look at him.

"Sora," he said firmly, "Why did you lie to me?"

"You couldn't know." she said softly, her voice threatening to crack.

"Why?" he was getting angry. "Do you not trust me?"

"That's not-" she began.

"Does anyone else know?" he was mad now. "Does Fool know? What did you think this would all be some great joke?!" He grabbed her by the shoulders causing her to drop the tray, sending the tea shattering to the floor. Sora cringed, he was hurting her, but one thing stood out to her.

"You can see Fool?"

"That is not important! Why did you not tell me?"

"Leon, you're hurting me!" she said.

"Answer me!" Sora looked into his eyes, behind the anger, she could see that she'd deeply hurt him and it was breaking her heart. "Please." He pleaded. "Do you have any idea what I've been through?"

"What you've been through?!" it was Sora's turn to be incredulous. "What you've been through?! You have no idea what this was like for me!" she screamed, pushing his hands off her shoulders. "To be alone for this! To have to explain to my parents why they couldn't meet the father! To have everybody looking at me like I was some sort of whore!"

"Well why didn't you just tell everyone?!"

"I couldn't!" she yelled. "I couldn't tell you! I didn't want to ruin your life!"

"How would this have ruined my life?" He said a little softer.

She didn't want to say it. Making her say it, acknowledging it righto his face, it would be the equivalent of ripping her heart out. She was silent.

Leon slowly released her; Sora got one last look at the hurt expression that broke her heart before he replaced it with his stone mask. He turned his back on her and walked to the door.

"Leon?" Sora said softly as he stood in the open door. He said nothing. "Leon, where are you going?"

"I need time to think." He said gruffly before shutting the door behind him.

* * *

><p>Sora kneeled down to pick up the broken pieces of the teacups, she felt numb. He knew. Her vision grew blurry as she tried to collect all of the broken pieces. Tears were threatening to fall. It was over. She wiped her eyes and took a deep, shaky breath. She was done crying, no more. She was going to get through this, alone. No more tears, she wouldn't let herself.<p>

* * *

><p>Leon didn't remember most of the ride but seemed to suddenly wake up as he neared an insanely expensive looking Hotel in Los Angeles at nearly three in the morning. He didn't really have the intention of driving all the way to Los Angeles, but there he was.<p>

He entered the glass doors and walked across the lobby. _How much is he getting paid?_ Leon thought as he observed the interior of the hotel. There was a glass fountain below a chandelier in the center of the lobby, the sculpture on the fountain must've been some form of abstract art because Leon had no idea what it was. The floor was waxed almost to the point of being a mirror with some darker tiles at regular intervals. He walked up to a modern looking desk with a young blonde receptionist sitting behind it.

She looked to be about 19 and wore entirely too much makeup, she looked as though she would be ready for a scout to recruit her at 3 a.m., but then again, this was L.A.. She looked up and saw Leon; he was sure he looked like hell warmed over but he definitely recognized the look she gave him.

"Can I help you?" she sounded all too peppy and twirled her hair around one finger.

"Demerchant please." Leon said, it looked like his tone may have scared the poor girl but he was in no mood for stupid flirty teenagers.

"Suite 2318, 23rd floor." She said nervously, all pretense of flirting gone.

"Thank you," he said rather coldly, but he was in no mood for pretenses.

He stood before suite 2318 and took a deep breath, he was suddenly nervous. He knocked on the door and waited. There was the sound of footsteps on the other side, a pause as the inhabitant looked through the peephole and the sound of maybe three different locks being disengaged. The door opened and a young man about the same age as Leon opened the door. He had shaggy blond hair and deep blue eyes; he was a few inches taller than Leon and had a slight figure. The young man smiled at Leon.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, my friend." Pierre Demerchant joked; Leon couldn't help but smile despite his mood. He wondered what Pierre was doing up so late. "You have come with good timing, I just finished speaking with my parents on the phone, time zones can be tricky, no?"

"Hello." Leon said. Pierre opened the door and let Leon in. Pierre must've been making quite a pretty penny if he could afford to stay in the penthouse suite of one of the most expensive hotels along the California coast. He entered through what appeared to be a small kitchen full of metallic and chrome appliances, there was a glass topped bar with stools lined up beneath it, the living area was sunk down a few steps. There was a plush leather couch and glass topped coffee table in front of a fireplace with a flat screen TV mounted over it. There were large picture windows covering a whole wall giving a view of the city at night, Leon could see the illuminated Hollywood sign in the distance.

"Acting sure pays, doesn't it?" Leon joked.

"Of course, how else would I have been able to get that car of yours?" Pierre laughed.

"I still don't feel right about that, but I love it." Leon said. Pierre had bought the car for Leon a few years ago; he said it was a thank you gift for remaining his friend through tough times.

"Ce n'était rien, you deserved it!" Pierre smiled easily. "Would you like something to drink?" he made his way to the bar, "the producers are paying for it!" he laughed and pulled out a beer for himself, he offered one to Leon who would have liked one but thought better of it. Pierre took a seat at one end of the comfortable looking leather couch and motioned for Leon to take the other. Pierre had been Leon's friend since they were just children, they had gone to school together where they had met Annette and the three had been inseparable since, though Leon had to leave them for spells of time now and again, especially when he and Sophie had been in training, but they always stayed in touch. Pierre and Annette seemed to have been dating since a time when they'd both been models, Leon was happy that they were finally engaged. "So, what brings you here, friend?"

"I came to visit you." He lied; he didn't really know where he was going until he got there.

"Leon," Pierre said flatly, "We have been friends for how many years? You do not need to lie to me, I know something is up. You never just 'come visit.'" He said with air quotations which looked kind of funny with a beer in one hand.

Leon sighed, he could feel his anxiety rising again; there was no use trying to hide anything from Pierre. "I'm… I'm going to…" he wasn't quite sure how to say it.

"You can tell me." Pierre said gently, though Leon knew he wouldn't push more than that.

He took a deep breath and tried to regain some composure. The shock still hadn't completely worn off. "I'm going to be a father." He said in one breath, barely believing it himself as the words passed his lips.

"Congratulations!" Pierre cried as he jumped up from his seat and went straight to the bar, pulling out a beer for Leon, thinking he deserved it now. He popped the cover off and handed it to Leon, all the while beaming about how he 'never knew he had it in him' and 'it's about time he settled down.' Leon wasn't sure what to say.

"Why do you not appear happy?" Pierre asked, agasp. "What is the matter?"

"I left." He whispered, staring at the table at the walls, at the window, anywhere but his friend's eyes.

"What do you mean, 'you left?'" Pierre sounded concerned.

"She told me and I left." Leon then explained the situation to Pierre.

"Why would you do such a thing? She obviously said something for a reason!" Pierre said in a thick French accent.

"I was shocked!" Leon sounded defensive. "I needed to think!"'

"Yet you abandoned her!" Pierre was disappointed in him. "What kind of a man are you?"

"She lied to me!" Leon retorted.

"And probably for a reason!" Pierre called back, "judging by your reaction, she may have been right! You left her there! Leon, you do not give her enough credit!"

"But, I-" Leon stammered but Pierre cut him off.

"You love her, do you not?" He said simply.

"I-I-"

"It is a simple question; do you not love the girl?"

"I do." Leon said clearly, he felt as though a weight had been lifted off his chest as he finally admitted out loud that he loved Sora.

"Then what is holding you back?" Pierre asked simply. That was a question Leon did not have an answer for. Leon remembered, under the feelings of hurt because she'd lied, as though she didn't trust him, Leon also felt an overwhelming sense of relief which he only realized now. He was the father of the baby. It was him that whole time! He was in love with Sora, and from what he'd overheard when she was speaking with Ava, she loved him back, and they were having a child!

Leon suddenly smiled. "I'm going to be a father!" he cried, jumping up and pulling his friend into a crushing hug. "Oh, Pierre, you would love her, she is kind, beautiful, and just amazing."

"Yet you left her there." Pierre said flatly. Leon was suddenly hit with an over whelming sense of dread. He'd been a total ass! He left her there after what she'd gone through to tell him, he'd been one of those people who looked at her that way, at least at first, he left her alone, he was that good for nothing father who just let her go through all of this alone. He'd left her there, alone, while he through a tantrum!

"What have I done?"

* * *

><p>Sora walked through the halls of the Kaleido building, just wandering from one wing to the next, seeing anything and everything. She stopped in every practice room and classroom, she visited the wardrobe department and even went to say hello and Jean and Marion, but they noticed that something was up. Finally she made it to the stage itself where people were busy as usual preparing for the night's performance.<p>

She could see May swinging over a temporary practice net and she eventually spotted Ken up in the rafters, sneaking about like the phantom would; his acting was really coming along. She stopped and talked to Cathy about what she thought of the new phantom; Cathy had replied that she was satisfied and that was great coming from her. She gave Ken a thumbs up, which he returned. Anna and Mia were practicing their roles as dancers along with Rosetta who was trying a little too hard to act the part of the diva. Sora had to laugh; she waved as she walked by, but thought better of it, she ran over and gave them all hugs, then walked away; she wouldn't disturb their practice more than that. She would have probably regretted it if she didn't do it. Marion must've been with her father, so she wouldn't disturb.

She walked down yet another familiar hall and came across Kalos's office. She knocked lightly, and when she didn't hear an answer, tried the knob; it twisted easily under her hand. She poked her head in, checking to see if Kalos was in; he wasn't. She wondered where he was, but he didn't need to be there for what she was going to do.

She walked over to his desk, pulled an envelope from her purse and placed it on his desk where he would see it. She turned and walked out, taking one last look at the office which was illuminated by midmorning light before silently shutting the door behind her.

* * *

><p>Leon was back in Cape Mary by early afternoon. Pierre had insisted that Leon stay the night, saying something along the lines of being too emotional to drive and what not, basically "You're staying hear whether i have to chain you to the couch or not! Don't sass me!" He had to make a few stops along the way but they had seemed absolutely necessary. He felt a little better now that the news of his impending parenthood had a chance to settle in, but he still dreaded the confrontation he was about to face.<p>

He pulled the new BMW up in front of Sora's dorm building, its silver body shining in the afternoon light. It felt strange to be driving a larger vehicle after having the Aston Martin for a few years, but he knew that Pierre would understand; you can't drive a family in an Aston Martin sports car. Leon had come across this revelation on his way back that morning when he drove by the dealership at which he spent a good part of the morning.

He stopped the car and picked up the flowers he'd gotten for Sora, hoping that the small gesture would at least give him a chance to properly apologize for the previous night, he knew it wouldn't be that easy though; he acted like a totally ignorant, self-centered ass, and she needed to know that he'd acknowledged that and that, no matter what, he'd do anything to make up for the biggest mistake of his life; leaving her alone. He'd never even stopped to think of the toll everything had taken on her. How could he have been such an idiot?

He knocked on her door and waited; there was no answer.

"Sora?" he called, but was only met with silence. "Sora?" he called again, louder this time. There was no answer. He tried the door; it opened easily under his hand. He let himself in. The apartment was completely silent; there wasn't even the sound of a ticking clock to keep him company.

"Hello?" he called; it wasn't like her to leave the door unlocked if she wasn't home. He took a quick look around the room, something seemed off, then he noticed; there were no pictures on her walls.

* * *

><p>Rosetta went to Kalos's office; she had a question for him. She was surprised to find it empty, had Kalos gone into town? Was he somewhere else in the building? She didn't know. She remembered spending quite some time in this office, getting hired, being partnered with Sora, getting lectured, the usual stuff. She walked around Kalos's desk; there was something she'd always wanted to do.<p>

She sat down in his chair and put her feet up on the desk, relishing in the power she imagined she'd have if she had a desk and chair like that, she heard a noise and jumped, knocking some papers off the desk. It must've been a door closing down the hall.

She hurried to pick up the papers that she'd knocked down. One envelope particularly stood out to her. She held it closer and quickly inspected it. Her heart sank. She ran out the door and didn't even bother to pick up the rest of the papers, let alone close the door when she left.

* * *

><p>He went to the stage, the only other place he could think of where she'd be. Leon had asked if anybody had seen her and he got the same answer every time; he'd missed her by a couple of hours.<p>

"How are you today, Mr. Leon?" Marion asked from behind him as he quickly surveyed the rehearsal.

"Good, could be better, could be worse." He smirked a little.

"I guess," she paused for a second, "Leg still hurt?"

"A bit," he said, shifting his weight off of it. "I still have a bit of a limp but I've been worse."

"Marion!" Cathy called, "You're up!"

"Coming!" she answered. "See you later!" she took off in the direction of the trampolines.

"Yes, see you." Leon walked out, maybe Sora had gone to visit Ava and her new baby, but why did the fact that he hadn't found her yet give him such a sinking feeling in his chest. He felt uneasy.

He was walking around a corner when something hit him, almost knocking him off his feet; his balance was off due to his injury. He looked down to see that it was Rosetta that had run into him. She looked a little shaken up.

"In a hurry?" Leon asked as he steadied himself.

Rosetta looked scared. "Sora's gone!" she panted, handing him the envelope which read "Resignation."


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note:** I just want to thank you guys for being so patient with me and still reading my story even though i've been a horrible person and made you all wait.

Chapter 19

Leon was running down the halls like a madman. He'd checked every practice room and even gone back to the stage a few times to see if anyone had seen Sora; he got the same answer each time and some increasingly worried looks each time he went. This had to be some kind of joke.

Rosetta had run into him saying that Sora was gone, she'd handed him what appeared to be Sora's resignation letter. His heart was pounding and he felt as though his heart was going to burst from his chest. Where could she be?

His mind was racing a mile a minute but he kept coming back to the same thought in the end; this was his fault. It might have been luck, or it might have been fate, but he must've had an angel on his side because the next person he ran into was Sarah.

"What's all the hurry for?" The English woman asked when Leon nearly ran into her, her tone suddenly grew concerned. "Leon, are you alright?"

"Where's Sora?" Leon himself could hear the desperation that set into his voice, but he didn't care; Sora was more important than his pride.

* * *

><p>Sora stood, waiting in line to go through security. She felt lightheaded and empty, her mind blank. She could hear the steady beep of the metal detector as the people ahead of her got checked. She leaned forward to take off her shoes when she found herself pitching forward, her center of balance off.<p>

"Woah!" The man in front of her caught her in time. He was an older gentleman about the same age as Sora's uncle. "Careful there." He gave her a caring smile.

"Thank you." Sora smiled back, "You probably would believe me but I used to be able to flip on a tightrope, now I can't even bend forward without falling," she laughed, but it sounded empty.

"My wife had the same problem!" he laughed. "Here, let me help you." He held Sora's arm as she tried to remove her shoes.

"Thank you." She said sincerely.

"Good luck," the gentleman said, "I hope you have a healthy happy baby." He smiled and then went through the metal detector. The baby, that was the priority and Sora would be damned if she couldn't make it happy, with or without the father, she would get through this.

* * *

><p>Leon sped down the street, he knew he was being reckless but he needed to get there. Why would she just leave like that? He shouldn't have even needed to ask; he knew very well that he was the reason. His mind was a mess, his heart was racing and his veins felt frozen. He could see the airport in the distance. Then what was probably the worst thing that could happen at the time.<p>

Leon heard a weird sound coming from the car; he saw the rpm gage go down and heard the engine start to go quiet.

"Are you freaking serious!" Leon yelled as he pulled the car to the side of the road. He turned the key in the ignition and got nothing. "You have got to be kidding me!" He tried the ignition one last time.

"Son of a-" he threw open the door and ran, barely remembering to lock the door.

* * *

><p>Sora sat in one of the chairs in the waiting area near her gate, her carry-on bag in the seat next to her, she felt numb, her chest felt as though there was a two ton weight on it. It was over; there was nothing else she could do. She knew her parents would love to have her back, at least until she can get back on her own feet, but she just couldn't stay, not after what happened. Her nose prickled, she was about to cry. She looked up and took a deep breath, enough; she wasn't going to cry anymore.<p>

"Attention all passengers, we are now boarding flight 217 to Narita Airport, please proceed to gate 13B."

It was time. Sora took a deep breath and stood up, grabbing her bag.

* * *

><p>Leon could hear his footsteps echoing on the tile floor of the airport but even the voices of the hundreds of travelers were drowned out by the pounding of his heart. His pain in his leg was screaming in protest to the strain he was putting it under, it was still healing, but that was not important; he needed to get to Sora before it was too late<p>

He looked all over as he ran, but never saw the familiar purple of her hair.

"Sora!" he yelled as he ran. All that earned him was some strange looks from the travelers which he ignored.

12A, the sign with the arrow pointed ahead. He was getting nearer to her gate. Sarah had said Sora's flight was at gate 13B. Sora had asked Sarah to book her flight that morning but wouldn't tell her why. The ticket was one way.

His mind was blank, his only thought was getting to her in time, he couldn't let her leave, he wouldn't.

His plan, or lack thereof, hit a snag; he'd never stopped to think of how he was to get through security. He could see the metal detectors a little ways away, Leon's heart dropped even lower; she wasn't there, Sora had already gone through.

Leon ran faster, ignoring the pain searing through his leg. He neared the gate and saw the security guard reach for his gun. Leon skidded to a halt.

"Is there a problem, sir?" the guard said edgily, he was about as tall as Leon but looked as though he took his meals in the form of steroids; he spoke with a mid-western accent.

"You have to let me through." Leon panted.

"I'll need to see your boarding pass, sir." The guard said, on hand still on his gun.

"I don't have one."

The guard eyed Leon suspiciously. "Then why do you suppose I ought to let you through?"

"The girl I love is on that plane, I can't let her leave!" The guard still stared at Leon indifferently but Leon could see his fault slipping.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave." He stepped toward Leon, ready to escort him out.

"Please!" Leon pleaded, he was about ready to get down on his knees and beg. "She's having my baby!"

* * *

><p>Sora sat in her seat, a baby magazine in her hands as she waited for her flight to take off. She was seated next to a woman who looked to be about 40 with auburn with traces of silver, her eyes were brown and somewhat hidden behind a pair of wire rimmed glasses, she was reading a paperback novel with a picture of Fabio with his hair blowing in the wind holding a woman who's dress looked as though it was about to fall off at the slightest touch.<p>

She was glad the woman let her have the aisle seat; her bladder's been almost as crazy as her hormones, but the doctor had said that was normal and that the baby might be sitting on her bladder. She couldn't concentrate on the article she was trying to read. She heard a commotion from the front of the plane but decided to ignore it.

"Attention passengers," the captain's voice came over the speakers, "There will be a slight delay, but we should be taking off shortly. Thank you for flying with Pacific Air."

Sora looked down and tried to focus on her magazine. She didn't know what caused her to look up, it could have been fate, maybe it was a familiar sound, but when she did, her heart skipped a beat.

* * *

><p>Leon didn't know what possessed the security guard to let him through, maybe it was pity, maybe the sheer desperation in Leon's voice, or maybe he'd just understood, but what mattered was that Leon got through and Sora's plane was still on the ground.<p>

Leon walked with purpose, the security guard close behind, serving as an escort. They got to the door of the plane, there was a flight attendant standing in the way. Leon was about to say something when the guard held up his hand and stepped up. He whispered something to the attendant who looked at Leon with a glint in her eye and a grin on her face. She nodded to the guard and went into the cockpit. Leon could hear the captain's voice over a speaker, a smile spread across his face; he was getting his chance.

He looked at the security guard and said, with the most serious earnestness, "Thank you."

The guard smiled and said, "Go get'er," he winked and clapped Leon on the back.

Leon stepped into the plane and took a deep breath, here goes everything. He stepped into the cabin and took a look at the passengers, to them, he just looked like one of them, albeit a sweaty, disheveled looking passenger with quite a limp. He caught sight of Sora and his heart nearly leapt out of his chest, she looked stunning as usual, albeit a little pale.

His hair was plastered to his forehead and the back of his neck, his shirt was practically glued to his back and his leg was clearly punishing him for the strain, but he didn't care; what was really important was getting through to Sora. He walked down the aisle and gulped down his pride and anxiety, he would get down on his knees and beg if he needed to just to get her to give him a chance to explain himself.

He stopped a few rows before Sora's and waited for a moment, composing himself, but that moment he didn't get, for Sora looked up at that moment and gasped.

"Leon?" she whispered, dropping her magazine on the floor. She blinked quickly, almost as if she didn't believe it was really him. She slowly stood and took a few tentative steps toward him, but then stopped; a hurt expression crossed her face. Why was he there?

"Sora." He said clearly, almost sounding confident, but in actuality he was a nervous wreck inside. He was no longer sure of what he was going to say. He stepped forward, reaching out, was it to caress her face? He no longer felt in control.

"Don't," she turned her face away, avoiding his hand. Her eyes were cast down, hidden by her hair. She took a breath; Leon noted that it was shaky. "Why are you here?" she whispered.

He wasn't sure what to say to her, he'd expected her to be upset, but her voice was completely void of emotion, he'd never heard her like that before.

"I," he paused, trying to collect himself, suddenly aware of the passengers staring at him and Sora, who were standing in the middle of the isle. He had something he needed to say, if he didn't, he was sure he'd regret this day for the rest of his life. "I couldn't let you leave." He said clearly. "Not without hearing me out."

"I have nothing to say to you." She said coldly, still not looking at him.

"Then listen," he said firmly, he wasn't getting off on the right foot, he'd come to apologize after all. "Sora, you've lied to me, you've kept secrets from me, you've hidden things, important things that I feel I had a right to know about." He took a deep breath. "You have no idea how angry you've made me at times, how hurt I have been," she seemed to flinch at his words. He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his matted hair, "you've given me memories I'll never be able to forget, you made me remember why I loved the stage and realize the magic around it. You've made me feel things I've never felt before, I was angry, but I couldn't hate you like the others, I was scared to hurt you whereas I was constantly pushing others over the edge. I almost died for you, and I would do it again and again if it meant you could be happy. I messed up. I know I've hurt you; I was an ass and never stopped to think of what this was doing to you, what you were going through, and I wasn't any help. You managed to make my heart ache, flutter, and skip a beat all at the same time. You're having _my child,_ and you want to run away?"

"I couldn't stay," she whispered, almost inaudibly.

"Why?" he asked, a hint of desperation in his voice.

She still looked at her feet, refusing to look at him, still silent.

"Sora, why can't you stay?"

"Because it hurts!" she looked him straight in the eye, there were tears pooling in them. "It hurts to be alone! It hurts to have to go through this without knowing a thing! It hurts being around so many happy people and pretending that everything is okay! And most of all, it hurts to see you happy with someone else!" The tears were running down her cheeks which were now red. He stood there, shocked silent as he listened to the sounds of her soft sobbing.

It took him a moment before he was able to speak, but he did get a push from the man standing behind him who was looking at him with expectation, all eyes were on him, none of them were positive. Then something struck him.

What was that last thing she'd said?

"What do you mean?" he asked, he was genuinely confused.

"I want you to be happy, I always have, but I can't just stay here and watch, and no matter what, I just can't bring myself to hate her, and I don't want to hurt her."

"Hate who?" She was silent.

"Sora, who?" He urged, he had stepped closer to her, she didn't back away.

"Annette."

Leon's heart sank; she'd thought he'd loved Annette this whole time.

"Sora, there is not, nor has there ever been, something going on between Annette and I." He said slowly and clearly.

"What?" She seemed shocked. She'd been wrong? How could this be? "You mean you're not engaged?"

"No, Annette is marrying my best friend, it was all a misunderstanding." He said. Sora was extremely relieved, but she still knew she couldn't stay, not after everything that had happened. "I love her, but not in that way."

Sora began sobbing again. Why were things this way? Why was she still hurting? She felt a pair of strong arms wrapping around her shoulders, pulling her to him. She laid her head against his chest and just let herself cry for a moment as Leon lightly stroked her hair and whispered in her ear.

After a few minutes, she'd calmed down a bit. Leon pulled away slightly and brushed her hair from her face. "Marry me." He said softly. Sora suddenly couldn't breathe; there was a gasp from all around. She could feel the tension as all of the passengers and attendants and even the pilot who'd emerged from his cabin awaited her answer, but then she remembered that night.

_Sora sighed. "What would you do if you found out you'd accidentally fathered a child?"_

"_I would take responsibility," Leon said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, "and marry the mother."_

"No." she said softly.

He was just taking responsibility, he felt that it was his duty as the child's father to marry Sora and help raise the baby; it wasn't because he loved her.

Leon was in shock, hit may have been narcissistic and sure he was being a little unorthodox and unromantic, but he never would have imagined that Sora would reject his proposal.

"W-what?" he was confused, Sora pulled away. He could see the look of shock mirrored on nearly every other face on the plane.

"I can't marry you." She said clearly.

"Why?"

"I'm not going to use this child to bind you to me." She tried to smile but her expression broke. "I want you to be happy, to be with the one you love, I want you to marry because you love someone, not out of a sense of responsibility." She could see his expression turn to hurt and it broke her heart but she needed to do this. "I'm not going to make you do this. This is why I have to leave." She tried to smile again. "So you don't need to stick to me out of some sense of responsibility, it will do nothing but hurt the both of us," her hand softly stroked her stomach, "and my baby and I don't want that." She could hear people whispering behind her, but she ignored them. "So I think this is where we should say goodbye." She smiled softly, though her heart was screaming for her to stay.

After everything he did, it wasn't enough. Leon had chased her there, while injured, he asked her to marry him, he bore his heart to her, but she still wanted to leave and he knew he couldn't let her, or he would regret this for the rest of his life, and maybe even longer.

Without really thinking, he reached and softly caressed her face, there were silent tears falling down her cheeks which he wiped away with his thumb, he stared straight into her eyes and she stared back, then he pulled her face to his.

His lips were soft and warm against hers; she could feel a warmth spread throughout her body. His hands gently caressed the sides of her face, her neck, tangled in her hair, and hers wound around his neck, she no longer had control, but she couldn't say she hated it. This kiss was somehow different from the ones before. This one seemed to go deeper, and I don't mean physically, but it seemed to strike a chord in her very soul. Sora felt like she was floating and she never wanted to stop.

After was could have been forever, Leon pulled away, but his face was still only millimeters away from hers, "I love you." He breathed over her lips, "I always have." He whispered his warm breath over her face. She pulled away and looked into his violet-silver eyes, where she saw the deepest, most sincere light. "Please," he begged. "Don't go."

New tears fell, but these were different; she no longer hurt. "You turned me into a liar." She laughed softly she leaned her head on his chest again, he wrapped his arms around.

"How?" he asked into her hair.

"I said I wouldn't cry anymore." She laughed and cried at the same time. She could hear the AWWs from all around. They stood in silence for a moment, arms around each other, not wanting to ever let go. "I love you too." She whispered.

She could feel him shaking as he tried not to laugh, the happiness just wanted to spill from him.

"Okay," she said softly, "I'll st-" she suddenly went silent, her hands flew to her stomach, her face was a mask of shock.

"Sora?" Leon was concerned. "What's wrong?" she didn't answer. "Sora?" he was getting scared.

Sora didn't speak, she grabbed one of his hands and placed it on her stomach, Leon didn't know what was going on, but then he knew; he felt a slight fluttering under his fingertips.

There were new tears falling from her eyes, but the insanely bright smile accompanying it told Leon that these tears were good.

Leon's face broke into the brightest smile Sora had ever seen, just seeing it made her feel like she could die happy. He started laughing and pulled Sora to him, lifting her off the ground and spinning her. When her feet touched the floor Leon kissed her again.

"I think the baby approves." He said as cheers erupted from all around.

* * *

><p>Sora's breathing quickened and Leon could no longer feel his hand; she was holding it so tightly that he thought his fingers would fall off, but he didn't dare say anything because what he felt was nothing compared to what she was going through right then.<p>

She cringed and took a sharp breath.

"Are you okay?" he asked gingerly.

"I'm fine, that one was sharp though." She lapsed back into a silence, attempting to even her breathing. He wiped the sweat from her brow. The monitor was somewhat steadily beeping somewhere behind him. He used his free hand to scratch his forehead; the cap they made him wear was itching like crazy.

She gasped again, another contraction. They were almost only a minute apart now. Leon pushed the call bell for the nurse; it was time.

They moved Sora from the room they were in to the delivery room. Leon could feel his heart rate pick up. He'd done countless shows in his time, but never did he feel this nervous. Sora was breathing quickly again, never letting go of his hand; he wondered if her hand was starting to hurt from the strain.

The doctor's prepped her and sat her in the birthing chair, her belly was extended to the point that it almost looked like someone had stuffed a beach ball under her skin.

Her face was contorted in an expression of pain. Leon wiped her forehead again and remained silent; he didn't know what he was supposed to say.

Finally he said. "It's finally time."

"Yeah." She smiled weakly. "Leon?"

"Yes, _ma Cherie?"_

"I'm scared." She whispered before gasping again.

He kissed her on the forehead. "So am I." He smiled at her, trying to comfort her. "We'll get through this."

The doctor placed herself and the nurses got into position. "Okay, Miss Naegino, I'm going to need you to breath," she said. Sora only nodded. "Okay and push."

Sora groaned loudly, her grip tightened as if that was even possible.

"Okay, again."

Sora's face turned an alarming shade of red and her face contorted.

"Breathe." Leon said softly.

She took a deep breath and pushed again.

Then Leon asked a stupid question. "Are you okay?" But who could blame him for his concern.

It was like someone had flipped a switch because Leon had never seen Sora react like she did.

"What the hell do you think?! Why don't you try having a baby and tell me if you're okay!"

Leon was shocked speechless. Sora was pissed, or she appeared to be because she was in so much pain. Leon was about to apologize for being dumb when she yelled, "Don't talk to me, don't look at me, don't even breathe in my direction!"

The doctor said to push again.

She cried out loudly.

"There's the head!" the doctor yelled. "Okay, one more!"

Leon had never heard someone scream so loudly, it tore at his heart. Was everything alright? He never would have imagined that she'd be in that much pain' he couldn't feel his hand anymore. She stopped yelling and all Leon could hear for a moment was her gasping for air.

Then he heard it, the sweetest sound in the world, though he would soon think otherwise. The wailing of a newborn baby.

"Congratulations," the doctor said with a huge smile, "It's a girl!"

"Well done," Leon said to Sora, kissing her.

Leon was handed the tiny pink bundle. He felt awkward holding something so tiny and fragile, she had a little dusting of fine hair on her head; Leon was afraid to break her.

"Sora." He said softly, he never felt more pride than right at that moment, this little creature, this gift Sora gave him, this was his daughter. He didn't want to let go, but he knew that Sora should be the one holding this child. "Here." he placed the little bundle in Sora's arms.

She had tears running down her cheeks. "Hello, little one." She whispered. "I'm your mommy. I've been waiting a long time to meet you." She laughed. "This is your daddy, do you want to say 'hello?'"

Leon felt as light as air. Sora's hair was matted to her forehead with sweat, her face was flushed, her eyes had dark circles under them; Leon had never seen her look more exhausted but to him she'd never looked more beautiful. He couldn't stop smiling as he looked at his new family.

* * *

><p>Sora's body felt heavy, everything hurt. She slowly turned on her side, eyes still closed. She had immediately fallen asleep right after they took her baby to be cleaned up; no one had woken her and really wanted nothing more than to stay that way. She heard a sound in the room. She slowly opened her eyes and saw something she'd never thought she'd see, at least not out of her dreams.<p>

She watched a tall figure stand and slowly rock back and forth near the window of the darkened room. He looked out at the street which wasn't that busy at that time of night. He cradled something against his chest and held it so gingerly that it looked like he was afraid to break it, but not like he was going to let go any time soon. She could hear him humming under his breath.

Sora had never seen a more beautiful sight than that of Leon holding their daughter and humming her a lullaby. She smiled to herself.

Leon slowly turned from the window and saw Sora watching him. He smiled softly and walked over. He took a seat in the rocking chair near the bed, the baby still resting against his chest swaddled in a pink blanket, her soft little head covered in a little bonnet.

"Good morning." Leon whispered.

"'morning," Sora whispered back. "Spending some quality time with your daughter, Mr. Oswald?" she asked playfully.

Leon smiled. "Of course, and I do not plan on stopping any time soon."

"So I'll have to fight you for her?" she giggled. "Just know that I won't let you win that easily."

Leon laughed softly. "So," he whispered. "What are we going to name her?" Leon had decided to wait until Sora woke up to fill out the birth certificate. They hadn't really spoken about names much since they were more focused on moving into their new apartment and arranging their schedules around the baby. Leon had decided to temporarily retire from performing.

Sora had thought of this before, but she didn't tell Leon; she already knew he'd love it.

Sora whispered softly. "Sophie."

Leon stopped rocking and just stared at her. His eyes became glassy and Sora could see a tear run down his cheek; she had never seen him cry.

He shifted to the edge of her bed and put an arm around her, holding Sophie with the other. Sora partially rose and wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you." Leon whispered as he wrapped his arms around and drank in his new family; he would never be alone again.

* * *

><p>A little girl with silver-white hair ran ahead down the path, chasing a colorful butterfly. The sun was shining through the trees, making a kaleidoscope of light across the walkway and leaves of the flower bushes. She loved going to the park; it was one of her favorite places. The little girl's large brown eyes searched the bushes curiously as she searched for the butterfly she'd been chasing.<p>

She pushed a few leaves aside and saw something rather curious. On the branch was a small man with what looked like a diamond over one eye, he was wearing a purple suit and his hair was down to his feel, he was just sitting on the branch smiling up at the little girl who smiled back. The small man pointed to a beautiful orange flower blooming near him. The little girl picked it; how did the little man know she liked flowers? She was about to ask when she heard her name called.

"Sophie," her daddy called. "Come or we'll be late, the show is going to start soon."

"Okay." She called back.

She was about to say thank you to the little man when he brought a finger up to his lips, telling her that it was their secret. She brought her finger to her lips too and giggled. Then she turned and ran off toward a very happy looking couple.

The little girl's long silver hair swished behind her as she ran.

"Come on, you want to see Auntie May and Uncle Ken, right?" Her mother laughed, her brown hair which was once purple was pulled up into a ponytail.

The little girl handed her the flower.

"Thank you, it's beautiful." She bent down and kissed her daughter on the forehead.

Her daddy then picked her up and placed her on his shoulders, his long silver hair, not unlike hers, was braided so she didn't tangle herself in it. He held her hand with one of his, his other hand reached to the little girl's mother's and their fingers were soon intertwined, he'd taken to fiddling with the ring on her finger, a sign of their love.

The spirit just watched from his perch, a broad smile on his face as the angel and the reaper were finally happy.


End file.
